


New Beginning

by TeamHPForever



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, brief homophobic comment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-02-20 23:51:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 36,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2447618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamHPForever/pseuds/TeamHPForever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico is a freshman in college, determined to get through his classes without getting close to anyone. Will is the RA of Apollo House.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really like college AUs so it was a given that I would end up writing one for these two. They're just so perfect together; I can't handle it. This will be a multi-chapter fic. I'm not sure yet how long it'll be or how often I'll update. I do know that I already have words as far as chapter four. 
> 
> Tags and character list will be updated as needed. I'm rating this E just in case, though it's going to be a bit of a slow build.

Nico blinks as he steps out into the sun. His legs complain at having been crammed in the front seat with a fair amount of his things for most of the last six hours.

“Welcome to hell,” Bianca says as she steps out of the driver’s seat and takes in the formidable height of the college dorms. They look more like prison barracks to Nico.

“Thanks,” Nico says, riffling through his pockets for the print-out of his email stating the building and room number. He’s looking around trying to figure out where in the world he might find wherever he has to check-in when three girls pop out of the building wearing obnoxiously pink shirts that say “Welcoming Crew” in massive black letters.

The tallest girl, with frizzy red hair, arrives first, an overly cheerful grin on her face. She’s followed by another deeply tanned girl with dark hair and a muscular girl with a deep scowl.

“Are you a freshman?” the redheaded girl asks, stopping on the other side of the car.

Nico sighs. “Yeah. I’m moving into Hades House.”

“I’m Rachel,” the redhead says. “I live in Apollo House. That’s fourth floor. This is Clarisse and Piper.”

“Hey,” Piper says, waving, while Clarisse just continues to scowl like she doesn’t know how she’s been dragged into helping new arrivals move in.

“Nico.”

“If you want to go get your key, Nico, then the desk is through those doors and just down the hall,” Rachel says, pointing at the double doors that they’d just come out of.

“Thanks. I’ll…be right back then,” Nico replies, glancing back at Bianca. She waves him off.

The desk is easy enough to find given that it’s surrounded by a crowd of people thick enough that he half-expects to see a concert at the other end of the line. It takes about ten minutes to make it to the desk, but once he does it’s not long before he’s heading out with a stack of paperwork and a scuffed gold key.

“Got it,” Nico says once he returns to the car. The girls have helped Bianca load about half of his stuff onto a rolling cart.

“Great.” Rachel beams at him. “What’s your room number?”

“Room 113.”

Rachel leads the way, marching ahead of them and parting the rambling crowds. Clarisse takes charge of the cart, pulling it with the ease of long practice. Nico and Bianca take up the rear, glancing at each other.

Room 113 is just across the hall from the elevator on the first floor. They trundle to a stop and Nico tries not to make a complete fool of himself fiddling with the door until it unlocks.

“Your roommate isn’t here yet,” Piper observes, helping unload his boxes from the cart.

Nico shuffles his feet, stacking boxes on the bed and the wardrobe for lack of a better place. “The desk told me that he’s not coming. Dropped all his classes. I’m supposed to be ready, though, in case someone else needs a space.”

“Hey, free single,” Clarisse says, speaking for the first time.

One more load with the cart later and all of Nico’s stuff is scattered across his room.

“Thank you,” Nico says once Piper, Clarisse, and Rachel are outside his room, holding on to the handle of the empty cart.

“You’re welcome. Have a good year!” Rachel says, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “If you need any help, I’m in 486.”

Nico nods and watches them walk away, closing the door behind them.

“What is up with the names in this place?” Bianca asks, looking around at the tiny room.

Nico shrugs. “I think the guy this building was named after was Greek and so they just ran with it when they had to name the houses.”

“I wish I could stay, little bro, but I’ve got to hit the road. My bed’s in the storage unit and I’d like to be able to sleep on it tonight.”

Nico’s heart sinks when he remembers that her college is still three hours away. It’s the first time they’ve been so far away from each other. “Thanks for helping me move in.”

“What are sisters for?” Bianca grabs him by the shoulders and pulls him into a hug. “Remember, make friends, go to your classes, and if anyone offers you a drink and you don’t know what it is, _say no._ ”

“I know, Bianca,” Nico replies, his voice muffled by her T-shirt. “Have a safe trip. Text me when you get there.”

“Always.” Bianca pulls away, searching his face. “Can’t believe you’re already going off to college.”

“Don’t get sappy on me now.” Nico smirks at her. “Now go on. I’ll be fine.”

Bianca nods and hugs him once more. Then she’s gone and Nico’s alone in a cramped room that’s far too white.

Nico manages to unpack his posters and TV before his thirst gets the better of him and he heads out to find a vending machine. There are people everywhere, some of them moving in by themselves and others with family or friends. He sees more people in ridiculous pink shirts but none of them are the ones that helped him move in.

Nico isn’t even sure what floor he’s on anymore when he’s stopped by, “Hey.” He turns around to see a boy with a smile that shines like the sun and blond hair to match. He’s wearing an orange polo shirt and jeans. “I’m Will Solace, the RA for Apollo House. You look lost.”

Nico thinks about denying it but instead he says, “What floor am I on?”

Will chuckles. “Fourth. The first number for the rooms indicates the floor. Room 401 is mine so it’s on the fourth floor.”

That would have been helpful to have known a while back. “I’m just looking for a vending machine.”

“Ah. I can show you where they are if you like.” Will shoves his hands in his pockets, pulling his shirt tight over his lithe build.

“I’m sure you have RA things to take care of. I wouldn’t want to interrupt.”

“I have to go down to the desk anyway. Come on.” Will starts walking, leaving Nico nothing else to do but follow. “What’s your name?”

“Nico di Angelo.” They push through a door that leads back to the stairs and start down.

Will repeats it, rolling the syllables around his mouth. “Nice.”

Nico doesn’t know what to say to that. Most of the comments on his name aren’t anything that could be described as “nice.”

“Are you a freshman or a transfer, Nico?” Will asks, his voice pleasant as they pass the landing for the third floor.

“Freshman.” Nico wrinkles his nose. He hates feeling like he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

“Do you have a major?”

“Classical Civilization.” Nico waits for a laugh that doesn’t come. “It’s…”

“The study of Greek and Roman society, I know.” Will smiles easily at him and Nico’s stomach swoops like he missed a step.

“What are you?”

“Pre-med.” Will turns the corner and steps through another door. They’re back on the first floor.

“Pre-med and an RA?”

Will shrugs. “I’m a glutton for punishment. I can sleep when I’m dead.”

The doors and posters look more familiar and it’s obvious why when Nico steps back into the lobby and sees the desk in front of him. Across the room is a pair of vending machines.

“Thanks,” Nico says, heading across the room while Will goes to talk to the boy behind the desk. He feeds the machine a couple dollars and presses the button for a Sprite.

Will is still talking to the guy behind the desk, leaning closer than is really necessary and reaching over to play with his tie. Nico blushes and looks away. He walks across the room and ducks into the hallway as quickly as he can, following the numbers back to his room.

His phone dings as he walks through the door and he pulls it out of his pocket. One text from Bianca: _I made it. Promise me that you’re not still closed away in your room._

 _I’m not,_ Nico texts back. He tosses his phone onto his desk and sighs as he looks around at all the boxes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the kudos and comments. :) Just a bit of clarification: Because this is a human AU, I've decided to only stick to sibling relationships according to the human parent. So Bianca and Nico are brother and sister, but Nico and Hazel are not.

The hard rock channel gets Nico through making his bed and unpacking half of his clothes before a knock interrupts. He mutes the TV and answers.

A girl stands on the other side, a group of people milling behind her. She’s African American, her cinnamon brown hair curled around her shoulders. She seems familiar for some reason, though Nico’s pretty sure they’ve never met before.

“Hey, I’m Hazel, the RA here. A bunch of us were going to get dinner and I wanted to see if you’d like to come.” She smiles at him.

Nico stares at the others, not sure if he wants to hang out with a bunch of strangers at the moment. Though he has to admit that he _is_ hungry. “Sure, why not.” He grabs his keys, locks the door, and falls into line with the group.

Food services turns out to be in another building a short walk away. The others chatter around him while Nico follows along in silence, trying to memorize the route for when he’s on his own.

“Enjoy the food,” a tall boy with green-tipped hair advises. “It won’t always be this good.”

Nico starts to say “Thanks” but the guy is already several paces away by the time he opens his mouth. He grabs a burger from the grill and fries drowned with cheese and picks a table hidden in the shadows away from everyone else. If Hazel and the others notice, they don’t come find him.

Nico’s starting to relax into the knowledge that they’ve forgotten all about him when Hazel pops up next to the table. “Did you get lost?” she asks brightly.

Nico shrugs. “I just…prefer eating alone.”

“All right. Well, if you ever change your mind just knock on my door. I’m up for food anytime.” She knocks on the table and walks away, rejoining the group to head back to the dorms.

Nico watches her go, feeling strangely empty inside. He pushes away the last few bites of his burger and half of his fries.

The dorms are loud with talking and banging when he returns. He’s pretty sure the people above him are currently using a chainsaw to turn all of their furniture into rubble. He tosses all of the remaining boxes onto the empty bunk and flops down onto his own, turning on the TV.

It’s nearly four a.m. before he finally manages to drift off to sleep, not at all helped by whoever decides to turn up the bass around three. He wonders if the dorms are always like this or if they’ll calm down once classes start.

“Only one way to find out,” Nico whispers to himself and forces his eyes closed.

In the morning, Hazel knocks on the door again, this time to invite him out to walk around town. Nico smiles as he apologizes and declines, saying that he has a lot of unpacking to do.

It’s true. But that doesn’t stop him from spending most of the morning lying in bed, dozing.

He eats lunch alone and then heads back to the dorms. He’s halfway there when his phone dings.

Bianca: _Get your ass out of bed and unpack. If you don’t do it now, you never will._

Nico: _My ass is out of bed._

He snorts, but flips the music back on once he’s back in his dorm and gets to work. It’s well past dinner time by the time everything is in its place. It really didn’t seem like he had that much stuff when he was packing it all away to bring.

Black curtains webbed with white border the window. Black torches lit with fake green flames on the desk and the wardrobe. Black comforter and silver sheets. Posters of castles and dragons on the walls. It almost feels like home.

Nico glances at the empty bed and sighs, thinking of when he and Bianca were young and sharing a room. They would stay up late, talking for hours. It’s been lonely since she left to college, but now Nico has left too.

Monday dawns bright and far too early. Nico smacks his alarm into silence and groans as he rolls out of bed. He can already tell that scheduling a nine a.m. was a mistake.

He regrets it even more when he steps out of his room just as Will Solace is walking by.

“Good morning,” Will says, beaming like he’s had multiple shots of espresso. Or he’s just an extreme morning person. Nico scowls at his door as he locks it.

“Early class?” Will asks, pausing next to him.

“Ten minutes from now.” Nico sighs, dropping his hands. “You wouldn’t happen to know how I can get to Clarkston, would you?”

Will’s face twists. “Going to take more than ten minutes on that one. You’ll have to catch a bus.”

“Great.” Nico shoves his keys in his pocket. “Guess I should get going.”

“I’m heading that way myself. I’ll walk you there. I know a shortcut.” Will starts walking and Nico hurries to follow. “So what class do you have in Clarkston?”

“Introduction to Greek Civilization.”

“Exciting.” Will pushes his way through the door and onto the sidewalk, Nico following behind. “Looking forward to classes?”

“Is anyone?” Nico has to admit that it does sound nice to have something to do and he has always enjoyed studying Greece and Rome, but classes are classes.

Will shrugs. “I enjoy them.”

“You really want to be a doctor?” Nico asks, getting so caught up in watching Will that he forgets to look around so that he’ll know how to go next time.

“Yep.” The sidewalk veers to the right but Will cuts straight across the lawn and through a door that Nico is pretty sure they’re not supposed to use. “My father is kind of head surgeon at a hospital in Manhattan. I’ve wanted to follow in his footsteps since I was six.”

“My father’s an undertaker.”

“Guess you don’t want to take over the family business, do you?” Will smiles at him, turning a corner down another hall. All the rooms down here seem to be offices, their doors shut tight.

“He’d like me to, but I’d rather not.”

“That’s all right. You need to find something that makes you happy.”

Nico’s stomach makes a strange flip. “That’s exactly what my sister told me.”

“You have a sister?” Will pushes through another door that spits them back outside on the other side of the building. A bus stop sits right on the edge of the parking lot in front of them.

“Bianca. She’s older than me. Goes to college a couple hours away.”

“You sound close.” Will nods at a black bus pulling into the lot. “There’s your bus. Get off at the second stop. Then follow the signs to your classroom.”

“Thanks.” Nico climbs on the bus and watches Will as it pulls away. It isn’t until the boy is out of sight and Nico stares into his lap that he realizes he said more to Will than he has to any stranger in a very long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been letting Solangelo consume my life for the past week and now I need to slow down and focus on other things. Now that doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing. I'm planning to continue updates twice a week from now on, Mondays and Thursdays. Hope you enjoy. :)

Nico blinks and before he knows it, his first week of classes is over. They all seem okay, except for Basic English Composition where his teacher expects them to take notes from the Powerpoint and talks too fast.

He continues to eat meals alone, hiding in a shadowy table that might as well have “Property of Nico di Angelo” written across it.

It isn’t until he navigates to Geography without even thinking about it on Friday that Nico realizes he’s getting a pretty good handle on this whole college thing.

Except now the weekend is stretching out in front of him and he has nothing to fill it with.

That is until Hazel knocks on his door and says, “We’re having a bonfire tonight with a couple other houses. Wanna come?”

Nico grabs his aviator jacket off the back of his chair and throws it on. That seems to be enough of an answer for Hazel because she grins and heads to knock on the next door.

Twenty minutes later, Nico finds himself sitting on a leg next to the biggest bonfire he’s seen in his life. He feels like one of the shadows waving around in the dark, sitting in silence.

“Hey, Shadow Boy.” Nico looks over to see Will drop down on the log next to him. “How was your first week?”

Nico shrugs. “Does O’Brien always talk so fast?”

“Oh, yeah.” Will shakes his head, smacking his hand against his thigh. “She’ll post the Powerpoints the week before the exam. Don’t sweat it too much.”

Nico relaxes against the log. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the Greek professors, would you?”

“Nope.” Will waves at a guy that Nico is pretty sure is another RA across the fire. “The Greeks may have revolutionized the medicine of their time, but it’s not something us modern doctors study much.”

“That’s kind of sad.” Nico accepts the can of Coke that Hazel presses into his hand before she flits away.

Will chuckles. “I suppose you’ll just have to fill me in, won’t you?”

Nico’s stomach flips again and he pops the top on the can just to have something to do with his hands. “I guess I will.”

Will stands up and brushes off his jeans. “Look, I have to go keep an eye on things but I have a couple people from my house that you should meet. Don’t move.”

For a moment, Nico considers making a break for it and just heading back to the solitude of his room, but then Will is pushing his way back through the crowd with two people in tow.

The girl looks like she could be Will’s sister—same slender build, same blond hair. The boy is shorter and stockier, his mop of hair a light shade of brown.

“This is Kayla and Austin,” Will says, pointing at them in turn. “They’re freshmen too.”

“I’m Nico,” he says automatically.

“Catch up with you guys later,” Will says and disappears into the crowd. Kayla and Austin stare after him for a second before settling down next to Nico.

“Are you Will’s sister?” he blurts out.

Kayla laughs and rolls his eyes. “I get that a lot. No, I’m not.”

“What house do you live in?” Austin asks.

“Hades.”

“Ew, ground floor.” Kayla wrinkles her nose.

Nico takes a drink of his Coke. “It’s not that bad. I keep the blinds shut most of the time so I don’t have to worry about people peeking in.”

“Just wait.” Austin snorts. “My freshman year I lived on the first floor of Dickinson. There were people knocking on my window every weekend.”

Nico cringes back against the log at the very idea. Kayla says, “I’ve never lived on a first floor.”

“So where are you guys from?” Nico asks when they lapse into an awkward silence that seems to stretch on for hours.

Kayla says, “Nevada” and Austin, “Cincinnati.”

“What about you?” Kayla asks.

Nico squirms in his seat. It’s a more complicated question than it should be. “Washington D.C.”

“Wow.” Kayla’s eyes light up and Nico knows that he’s in trouble now. “What’s it like there?”

“Busy.”

Austin leans forward. “What brought you here to California?”

“It’s as far away from home as possible.” Nico’s tone drips with sarcasm but Kayla laughs like she didn’t notice.

“I know how that goes,” Austin says, though Nico isn’t entirely sure that’s true by the way he’s grinning.

He forces himself to endure a few more minutes of awkward conversation, before Austin announces that he’s going to go get a drink and Kayla spots a friend getting out of her car.

“It was nice meeting you,” Kayla says and Nico smiles and says, “Same with you.” As soon as they’re gone, he makes a break for it.

Nico almost makes it.

“Where are you going?”

Will’s voice stops him in his tracks. Nico turns around, trying to ignore the way the bonfire casts a shifting glow over the boy’s blond hair.

Nico shrugs. “I thought I would head out.”

“You sure? A bunch of us are thinking about walking down to the beach.”

Nico nods, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

“It’s just…” Will trails off and then pushes onward, “I’ve noticed you alone around campus a lot over the past week.”

Nico turns away, unable to take Will’s wide-open expression any longer. “I like being alone, Will. Don’t worry about me.”

Nico heads out into the dark and, this time, Will lets him go without a word. The shadows close down all around, welcoming him with open arms. Nico feels almost guilty for leaving without saying goodbye to anyone, for what he said to Will, but he can’t really bring himself to care.

He doesn’t need friends to succeed in school. He just needs to keep his head down, get good grades, and before he knows it it’ll be time for graduation.

The memory of Bianca’s text burns across his mind. _Promise me that you’re not still closed up in your room._

Well, he wasn’t. He’d gone to the bonfire. He’d talked to Kayla and Austin. Not very much and not very well, but he’d done it.

It isn’t until Nico is back in the safety of his room that he completely relaxes. He leaves the lights off, turning on the fake torches instead. They cast a familiar ghostly green glow over everything.

Bianca had always hated them, but he found the moving light rather soothing. Nico strips down to his boxers and crawls beneath the covers, Will’s flirting tone as he said, _“I guess you’ll have to fill me in, won’t you?”_ playing through his head.


	4. Chapter 4

Nico doesn’t see Will for the rest of the weekend. He doesn’t see anyone, as a matter of fact. Mostly because he spends it shut up in his room, only leaving for meals. He finishes most of his homework for the next week and starts in on a paper that isn’t due for two more.

Maybe he really should get out more.

He doesn’t feel any better about his chances with Basic English Literature. He’s supposed to read all of _Fahrenheit 451_ by Thursday and it’s not going well.

“Damn book.” Nico tosses it across the room and it bounces down onto his desk.

“Easy there,” a voice says from the hallway. Nico knows before he turns to look that it’s Will. “What did that book ever do to you?”

Nico scowls at it. “It exists.”

Will lingers on the other side of the threshold. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Nico glances quickly around to make sure that none of his dirty underwear is lying out in plain view.

“ _Farenheit 451._ ” Will picks it up and folds the bent pages back into place. “That’s a good one. I haven’t read it in a long time.”

Nico shrugs. “I haven’t gotten very far.”

“Procrastination is a curse…” Will leans against the desk and stops when he catches sight of Nico’s face falling. “What’s up?”

“I’ve…never liked reading.” Nico rolls his shoulders and slouches against the wall. “I’m not good at it.”

“There’s a tutoring center on campus. Any of them would be glad to help you.” Will’s voice is gentle.

Nico shakes his head. “I’m good. I’ll get through it.”

“It’s okay to ask for help.”

“I’m fine,” Nico snaps. He feels guilty when he sees Will’s head jerk back and then hates himself for feeling guilty. It’s not like he asked Will to come in here and give him advice. He doesn’t _need_ help.

“All right.” Will shrugs. “Well, if you need anything, the tutoring center is in the library. Or you can come to my room anytime. I might be pre-med but I’ve taken the basic English courses like everyone else.”

Nico stares at his hands, ignoring the flush that’s growing up his cheeks. He’s used to people snapping back when he goes at them and now that Will is being kind he doesn’t know what to do with it. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Will walks back out the door and it closes behind him with a snap.

Nico waits a few minutes before he goes to pick up the book. It isn’t long before the letters are swimming in front of his eyes again, doing flips and playing hide-and-seek. He snaps it shut and leans back on the bed, closing his eyes.

He could text Bianca, but he knows that she would just tell him to go get help. She’d had a tutor for the first year of college. It wasn’t anything to be ashamed of.

In the end, Nico looks up the Spark Notes on his phone and reads through them as best he can. He bullshits the answers to the quiz and feels pretty good about it. If he can just do that for the rest of the semester, he should survive the class.

His professor assigns them to read all of _Turn of the Screw_ by Monday and Nico resists the urge to drop his head onto his desk. It’s not even that big of a book but he’d rather run barefoot through the forests of Maine in February.

He thinks that maybe he’ll just Spark Notes the damn thing when the professor says, “I want an in-depth essay on it by Friday. With specific quotes. Don’t think you can just look up a summary on the Internet.”

That’s how Nico finds himself knocking on room 401 with a battered copy of _Turn of the Screw_ tucked under his arm.

“Nico.” Will’s eyes widen in surprise when he opens the door. He’s wearing jogging clothes, and his hair drips with sweat. It’s the hottest thing Nico has ever seen. “What can I help you with?”

“I’m sorry.” Nico starts to back away from the door. “I can come back?”

“It’s fine.” Will wanders deeper into his room and comes back with a hand towel. He ruffles his hair, making it stick up in every direction.

“I have to read this by Monday.” Nico holds up the book. “And write a paper by Friday. I don’t even know where to start.”

Will chuckles and Nico bristles, trying to decide if he’s laughing at him. “That damn book. You can start by coming in.”

Will moves out of the way and Nico follows him inside. The room is a bit bigger than his own, though that might just be because there aren’t two sets of furniture crammed into it.

The first thing Nico notices is that the bedspread is mottled fiery red and gold like the sun. The posters on the walls are all of sunlit fields and dappled forests, except for two life-size posters of the human body—one of the skeletal system and one of the circulatory. There are stacks of books everywhere, some of them medical and some of them poetry. Nico’s looking over one of them when something in the corner catches his eye.

A violin, its wood glinting in the sunlight.

“The violin?” Nico asks, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room and staring down at it.

“Ever since I was a kid.” Will strips out of his sweatshirt, showing a flash of his stomach as the movement draws up his undershirt.

“How do you even have time?” Nico taps the cover of a book titled _Organic Chemistry._

Will laughs and pulls on a black T-shirt. “Honestly, I don’t but when I need a few minutes, it’s there. You can sit down, by the way.”

Nico snorts but takes a seat on an orange bean bag. He smacks the book down in his lap.

“So what’s the problem?” Will asks, taking a seat on the floor in front of him.

Nico swallows hard, the words burning at the back of his throat. “I’m dyslexic.”

“So am I.” Will says it as matter-of-factly as if they’d just both announced that they are college students.

“Really?” Nico’s eyes widen and he glances around at the stacks of books. “Serious?”

Will nods. “It was really difficult in high school, but then I got people who could help me.”

“I don’t want anyone to think I’m stupid.” Nico stares at the book in his hands, flipping through the pages.

“Trust me, no one is going to think you’re stupid.” Will reaches over and snatches the book out of his lap. Then he pushes himself over to the shelves and digs around until he comes out with a disc. He tosses it into Nico’s lap.

“What’s this?”

“Audio of _Turn of the Screw._ Listen it to a couple times if you have to. You should be able to find audio copies for all the books you have to read in class.”

Nico’s lips part with surprise. He’d never thought about listening to all the books. “Is that what you do with everything?”

“Not quite.” Will hands him the book back. “Medical textbooks are a little long for that. It’s good for now, though. So go listen to it a couple times and when you’re done come back. We can talk papers.”

Nico stares at him, not sure what to do with this boy with the open face and helpful eyes. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, di Angelo.” Nico tucks the book and disc under his arm and heads back down to his own room. It seems strangely empty, but he settles down with his computer and puts in the disc.

He’s ten minutes into it before he realizes that he’s just replaying Will’s words in his head and picturing those blue eyes gazing down at him.


	5. Chapter 5

Nico listens to _Turn of the Screw_ twice, taking notes the second time around, and then heads back to Will’s room to return it. The RA of Apollo House is properly dressed this time in an orange T-shirt and jeans.

“I finished it,” Nico says, handing the disc back. “Did she seriously kill that kid?”

“Yeah…” Will trails off, wandering into his room. Nico hears him rummaging around the shelves and follows hesitantly. “You have any ideas for your essay yet?”

Nico holds up his sheets of notes, most of them illegible by anyone but him. “I think so.”

“Hit me.” Will drops down on the bed, munching on a bag of popcorn.

By the time Nico leaves, he has a thesis statement and an outline for his essay and he feels way more confident than he was before. He feels even more confident when he emails it to his professor early Friday morning.

The rain drives everyone inside for the rest of the day. Nico grits his teeth and tries to ignore the music pounding through the walls from multiple directions.

It’s already dark when something taps against his window. Nico scowls and pushes himself out of bed, ready to unleash the full wrath of hell on whoever it is.

Until he sees Will.

“Come on!” Will waves his hand for him to come outside. The rain is still pouring down, soaking him and the others running through it behind him.

Nico raises his eyebrows, pushing the window open so that he can hear better. “Are you insane?”

“Puddle jumping. Now get out here, freshie.” Will turns around and Nico catches a glimpse of the back of his T-shirt clinging to the smooth muscles of his back.

Nico rolls his eyes and closes the door. He shuts the curtains again and tries to go back to watching an old version of _Dracula._

But he can’t get Will out of his head.

Nico slides into a T-shirt and sweatpants before heading out the door. He looks around in the dark, but Will and his group are nowhere to be seen.

“Yo!” Will comes charging out of nowhere and almost tackles Nico to the ground. Will’s hair and clothes cling to his skin. Despite the cold of the rain as it soaks into Nico’s clothes, Nico feels uncomfortably hot.

“Is puddle jumping really a thing or this the part where you yell ‘psych’ and make fun of me.” Nico crosses his arms over his chest.

“Puddle jumping is very serious business. Don’t knock it.” Will laughs and takes off again, grabbing Nico’s wrist and pulling him along with him.

They run until Will stumbles, landing in a grassy puddle and dragging Nico right along with him. The mud squishes beneath them, water soaking their clothes.

“You are crazy,” Nico growls.

“Hey, you came out here with me.” Will rolls over and pins him into the water. Nico doesn’t think it’s as unpleasant as he probably should.

Nico slides his leg between them and uses it as leverage to roll them both over. Will fights back and they roll through the puddle. It isn’t long before they’re both covered in grass and mud.

“You’re stronger than you look,” Will says.

“What are you saying?” Nico lets his muscles fall lax like he’s given up. When Will goes to laugh, he flips them over, squishing Will’s hair into the mud.

Will stares up at him with those blue eyes and Nico’s breath freezes in his throat. Their body heat sears through their clothes.

Nico glances down at Will’s lips.

“Solace!”

Nico rushes to roll off Will and clamber to his feet, sliding in the mud. Will sighs, dropping his head back into the water.

Two boys hurry up to them. Either Nico is seeing double or they’re brothers, nearly identical right down to the massive grins stretched across their faces.

“Hey, guys.” Will sits up slowly, trying not to fall on his face as he gets to his feet.

“The sprinklers are on across campus. If we hurry we should be able to make it before they turn off.”

“What—” Nico doesn’t have time to find out what’s going on before they’re running off again. He sighs and takes off after them.

“It’s _raining,”_ Nico says when they reach the other side of the building and he realizes what the brothers were on about. The sprinklers _are_ still on, spraying water in wide arcs. Will takes off, running and spinning underneath them. The brothers follow his lead.

“Come on, di Angelo!” Will yells.

Nico shrugs. “What the hell.” He takes off running, ducking underneath the sprinklers. The water isn’t much warmer than the rain, but it soaks his hair, making it cling to his forehead in thick locks. The sprinklers do have the added bonus of washing away some of the dirt.

Lightning splits the sky and, just like that, the fun is over. The brothers disappear, leaving Will and Nico to make their way back alone.

“Try not to drip water everywhere,” Will advises as they step back inside. Cold air surrounds them, setting Nico shivering.

Nico snorts. “I’ll do my best. I’m going to need a shower.”

“We could conserve water.” Will wiggles his eyebrows and then his face falls. “I…forget I said that.”

“Said what?” Nico says, ignoring the way his heart is roaring in his ears. He wants to ask if Will flirts like this with everyone or if he’s special, but he can’t bring himself to. Will is a pre-med RA and he’s just a lowly freshman.

Will grins at him, pausing when they reach Nico’s door. “Don’t catch a cold. I’d feel horrible if I got you sick.”

“Same to you. Minus the feeling horrible because it was _your_ idea to go running in the rain and—see you later.” Nico pushes into his room and sighs when he hears the shower already running. He tries not to think about Will enjoying his own shower as he strips out of his wet clothes and cuddles up under a mountain of blankets.

It’s another twenty minutes before the shower is free and he’s able to slide happily beneath the steaming hot water. Nico closes his eyes, leaning his forehead against the wall and picturing Will behind him.

Will would use his extra height to his advantage, plastering himself against Nico’s back, resting his chin on his shoulder, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist. He’d hold Nico tightly, but not in a way that would make him feel trapped. The water would stream down both of their backs but they would ignore it.

Nico tilts his head back, imagining Will pressing his lips against the side of his neck. Will’s hands would slide lower, leaving Nico shivering until finally he would wrap one of them around him.

He shivers at the thought, not able to hold off any longer. Nico wraps a hand around himself, wondering how Will would do it. Slow but steady, he decides, stroking himself with long strokes. He’d know exactly where to press, exactly when to squeeze lightly at the base to hold Nico off from coming.

“Will,” Nico sighs, come splattering against the wall. He wavers for a moment before he groans and sets to washing away the evidence. He feels a strange sense of guilt when he thinks about Will again, like Nico was using him.

Nico hurries to finish up his shower, washing his hair twice to make sure he gets all the dirt out. Then he climbs beneath the covers and very purposely does _not_ think about Will knocking on the window or Will sliding into bed next to him and stretching out like a gangly puppy. Whatever this _thing_ is between them, it’s not going anywhere. Nico isn’t about to get himself stuck in another one-way crush. No way.


	6. Chapter 6

“Great.” Nico glares down at the sink spewing water all over the counter. He pushes the handle and the spray stops. It’s still early but he heads down to the desk anyway.

The guy behind the desk is the same one that Will was flirting with that first day. And, Nico realizes, also one of the brothers out running with them the night before. His hair isn’t soaked through with mud this time, but it’s definitely him.

“What can I do for you?” the boy asks. _Connor Stoll,_ according to his name tag.

“Sink’s broken.” Nico leans against the desk, looking the boy over as he sorts through stacks of paperwork looking for the proper forms. Curly brown hair, blue eyes, skinny. He’s abandoned the button-up and tie from move-in weekend in favor of a loose-fitting T-shirt and baggy shorts.

“Here we are.” Connor slides a piece of paper over the desk to him. “Fill this out and maintenance will get to it as soon as they have a chance.”

Nico nods and hurries to jot down his information and the problem. He must not make it fast enough because Connor says, “Were you the guy that was out puddle-jumping with us last night?”

Nico stays quiet. He could pretend that he doesn’t know what the kid’s talking about. It was dark, and he was soaked in water and mud at the time. “Yeah.”

“Sweet.” Connor starts digging through stacks of papers again. Nico wonders how any of them get any work done when they can’t seem to find anything they need.

He finishes off the rest of the sheet and hands it back. “There.”

“Looks great.” Connor’s eyes shift back and forth as he glances over it. “I’ll get that in for you.”

“Thanks.”

After that there’s nothing left to do but hole back up in his room. Nico paces the floor, the bed staring at him like a constant reminder of his thoughts the night before.

Nico snorts, grabs his coat off the back of his chair, and heads out. He picks a direction and just starts walking, cutting across campus and out into the city. This part is all residential, most of the houses quiet in the middle of the day. It’s overcast and, while it’s not raining, it still isn’t the most appealing weather to be out and about in.

A blond girl sits on a porch swing, sketching something into a notebook. She waves at Nico as he walks by. He waves back.

She’s out of sight again when Nico’s phone starts to buzz in his pocket. He scowls, pulling it out and hitting _Answer._ “What’s up?”

“You know most people just say ‘hello.’” Bianca’s voice comes through the other end of the line, bright and happy. He can hear chattering and laughing in the background. “Oh, hold on a second.”

“Okay.”

A door closes followed by silence. “How were your first couple weeks?”

Nico shrugs before he remembers that she can’t actually see him. “It’s been okay.”

“Just okay?” A rustle of fabric. “Did you get a new roommate yet?”

“Nope.” Nico passes by a frat house, red cups scattered across the lawn. “I’m still all on my own.”

“You’re not on your own. Please tell me you’ve at least _talked_ to people who aren’t me.”

Nico huffs. “Of course I have.”

“ _Hi, my name is Nico and I’m from Washington DC. I’m majoring in Classical Civilization and I took this class because it’s required for everyone_ does not count as talking to people.”

“Seriously, I thought we were past that kind of thing after middle school.” Nico rolls his eyes and picks up one of the cups. _Jackie_ is scrawled across it in black marker. He tosses it aside.

“I just want you to be happy. I’m sure there are a lot of great people at your school, but you won’t know unless you give them a chance.”

Nico thinks immediately of Will and then shakes his head. “I am happy, Bianca.”

“You’re supposed to _sound_ happy when you say that.” Bianca sighs, the noise rushing through the phone. “Tell me about your classes.”

Nico relaxes with the change in subject and goes on about how much homework he has, how his Greek professor told him that he should have just tested out of her class. He’s telling her about the stack of books he has to read when he says, “Though Will turned me on to audiobooks—”

“Will?” Bianca interrupts, her tone bright with curiosity.

Nico winces hard and kicks at the sidewalk. “Yeah, he’s an RA upstairs.”

Bianca whistles.

“It’s not like that.”

“Mmhmm.”

“We’re not even friends. He’s dyslexic too and he was just helping me out because I didn’t want to get a tutor.” The words burn as they come out, bringing back memories from the night before of Will staring down at him as they tried to drive each other deeper into the mud.

Bianca chuckles and he knows she can hear the lie in his voice. “All right.”

A door slams in the background at the other end of the line, followed by a girl saying, “Party at the Epsilon house, you in?”

“Just give me a minute!” Bianca calls back. “I gotta go, kid. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Yeah, of course. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Nico hangs up and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. When he looks back up he finds himself in the middle of a park. There are a few kids playing on the jungle gym and a birthday party under the pavilion but it still seems quiet for a Saturday.

The swings are empty so Nico drops down on the tallest one and rocks back and forth.

A boy lets out a blood-curdling scream when he hits the ground. A woman immediately runs over to comfort him. Nico stares at his knees.

“Hey.” Chains rattle as someone drops down next to him. Kayla. “What’s up?”

Nico looks up and shrugs. “Not much. Just thought I’d come out for a walk.”

“Me too. Well, a run anyway.” Kayla pushes her feet into the ground, getting herself swinging. When Nico doesn’t reply, she says, “So Apollo House is having a movie night tonight.”

Nico stares blankly back at her. “Okay?”

“Will told me that I should ask you if you want to come. It’s not _just_ Apollo.”

Nico stares back at his knees. “I don’t…”

Kayla seems to get his reservations because she says, “Will would have told you about it himself, but he has RA crap all day today.”

“Oh.” Nico kicks his legs, bringing his swing up to her level just to have something to do.

“There’ll be pizza. And I think someone is making cupcakes. Nothing attracts college students like free food.” She grins at him.

“When?”

Kayla jumps off the swing and lands lightly on her feet. “Eight in the Apollo common room.”

“Okay,” Nico says, but she’s already jogging away. He grabs the chains and leans back, hanging briefly upside down in the air.

Could Kayla be telling the truth about Will wanting to ask him to the movie night? And why would he even want to? He's just a freshman from four floors below. Nothing special.

It’s nearly dark by the time Nico clambers off the swing and retraces his steps home. He must be crazy but if he’s going to do this thing, then he doesn’t want to be late.


	7. Chapter 7

The Apollo House common room is filled with people. They’re on couches, chairs, floor. Nico guesses that college students really are attracted to the offer of free food.

He’s just about to change his mind and leave when Will yells, “Hey!”

Nico turns around to see him coming out of his room, hands laden with two-liters of soda. “I was just…”

“Coming in.” Will nods at the door. “Can you give me a hand?”

Nico tries to ignore the idea of hearing those words in a very different context while he pushes open the door and holds it for Will. He lingers awkwardly in the corner while Will adds the soda to the pizza table and takes a seat in an open chair.

Will catches his eye across the room and points at the floor in front of him. Nico glances at an open spot stuck in the corner and steps over to accept Will’s offer instead.

“What’s the movie?” someone asks as Kayla pulls a DVD out of a massive case and pops it into the player.

“ _Rent,_ ” Will replies, though he glances down at Nico when he does. “It’s an Apollo House tradition. I do not apologize for the singing.”

Kayla laughs. “None of us do.”

Nico raises his eyebrows but doesn’t say anything. When the movie starts and half the room erupts into “ _Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes…”_ he understands.

Nico’s never seen the movie before and he doesn’t think he’ll be able to remember much of it this time. He swears he can feel the Will’s warmth radiating from his leg hanging over the chair next to him. Not to mention the richness of his voice as he sings every song, sometimes singing only one part of a duet and sometimes singing as much of both as he can manage.

Nico gets up for a cupcake and makes the mistake of looking at Will when he comes to sit back down.

He’s singing, his eyes fixed on the screen. When Nico steps toward him, Will looks at him, lips still tracing the words of the song. There’s something intense in his eyes that Nico doesn’t know how to name. “ _Give in to love or live in fear…”_

Nico drops to the ground and stares at the screen without seeing it. His heart races in his chest. He doesn’t stand up or look back for the rest of the movie. Will sniffles at the ending but Nico most definitelydoes _not_ cry. Not even a little.

After _Rent_ there’s a scuffle over what the next movie will be. It goes on a couple minutes before Will stands up and takes the DVD case. “Two choices: _Princess Bride_ or _High School Musical_?”

Princess Bride wins the vote and Will settles back into his chair. Nico leans back, smiling at the boy and his grandfather.

As it gets later, people start to trickle out. Someone kidnaps the rest of the cupcakes and someone else grabs the empty pizza box. Will curls his legs up into the chair and Nico moves over, resting his head back. His hair must be brushing against Will’s shins but the boy doesn’t move away.

Once _Princess Bride_ ends, the party seems to be over. Kayla takes the case of DVDs before waving goodnight. Silence reigns as Will and Nico are left alone.

Nico knows that he should probably say his goodnights and leave, but he’s warm and comfortable and standing doesn’t sound like the most appealing thing in the world.

Will groans as he gets up and starts cleaning, humming something familiar that Nico can’t quite place.

“What is that?” Nico asks, hauling himself to his feet to help.

“ _La Vie Boheme,_ ” Will replies. Nico swallows hard, remembering another song. “It’s one of my favorites.”

“I’d never seen that movie before.” Nico stacks cups inside each other and tosses a bunch into the trash.

Will grins, tossing out the last of the cups. “Happy to have ruined that streak. What’d you think?”

“It’s great.” Nico snatches a couple of cupcake wrappers and tosses them out.

“Don’t think, just say it. Favorite song.”

“ _One Song Glory_.”

Will looks thoughtful. _“Seasons of Love._ ”

“Is it really an Apollo House tradition?” Nico leans against the back of the couch in the middle of the room.

Will drops the empty two-liters into the recycling bin. “Since it came out in 2005.”

Nico glances at the door, his mouth going dry. His mind races and he blurts out the words before he can think twice about it. “ _Another Day_ isn’t your favorite song?” Will opens his mouth to reply but Nico cuts him off. “What you said. Did you mean it?”

Will leans hard against the table, seeming to understand. “It’s just a song, Nico.”

Nico doesn’t take his eyes off him, recognizing the chance he has to accept that explanation and letting it go. “But did you mean it?”

Will whirls around, his eyes hard. Nico tries to take a step back but he’s leaning against the couch and there’s nowhere to go. All the fight goes out of Will and a wry smile crosses his face. “Yes, I meant it.”

Nico’s heart tries to jump out of his skin. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I’m an RA and you’re a resident and that I should care but I really, really don’t.” Will steps across the floor as he says it, until he’s close enough that Nico could reach out and touch him if he wanted.

“Is that why you had Kayla ask me to come here tonight?” Nico’s surprised when his voice comes out steady.

Will’s forehead creases. “I didn’t—oh. I told her about you and she…she’s Kayla.”

“You told her about me?” Nico wants to reach out and grab Will to pull him closer so much that it hurts. He tightens his grip on the back of the couch.

“I might like you, Nico.” Will’s voice is soft and he takes another step.

Nico glances at the door. He could walk out of here right now and they might still be okay.

Will’s blue eyes catch his gaze and hold on tight. The time for leaving is past.

“I might like you too.” Nico releases the couch and grabs Will’s wrists instead, pulling him into his space. He might regret this tomorrow, but in this room with the blinds drawn and “ _No other course, no other way, no day but today”_ playing on repeat in his head he doesn’t want to think about that. “I’m not very good at this.”

Will chuckles, his eyes fond. “Neither was Roger.”

“Does that make you Mimi?” Nico can’t help the smile that rises up.

“Well I’m pretty sure I have those exact boots.”

Nico smacks him lightly on the shoulder and then forgets to take his hand away. “You’re ridiculous.”

Will’s smile drops a little and his eyes go soft but serious. “Here’s a genuine piece of official RA advice for you: No one is good at this.”

“You are.” Nico drops his head, looking toward the ground, but Will slides a finger beneath his chin and tilts it back up.

“If I was really good at this, I would have kissed you when you were trying to drown me in mud.”

Nico laughs but the sound comes out strangled. He slides his hand up to the back of Will’s neck and pulls him down hard.

They almost crash into each other in their eagerness, but Will balances himself with his hands against the couch on either side of Nico. Their first kiss is too hard and too fast.

Will pulls away and then leans back in, more gentle this time. Nico lets Will have control, afraid that he’ll give away his lack of experience.

“What’s wrong?” Will whispers, pulling away and sliding his hands from the couch to rest on Nico’s hips.

Nico tries to pull him back in but Will tugs out from under his grip. “I’ve never really done this before.”

“Ever?” Will looks surprised but he doesn’t move away.

Nico shrugs, wishing that he hadn’t brought it up. “I have but not much. It’s a long story.”

“Don’t think so much,” Will murmurs, leaning down.

Nico tries, relaxing into the kiss and following Will’s lead. A door slams in the hallway and they leap apart again. Will’s eyes go wild and Nico’s heart drops out onto the floor.

“I should…I should probably go,” Nico says, bolting out the door before Will can reply. He takes the stairs two at a time, sagging back against his door as he shuts himself away.


	8. Chapter 8

Nico listens to _“_ Another Day” six times while he takes a shower, two more while he finishes getting ready, and then just one more time because he can’t seem to stop. Will is the last person he wants to think about but the song won’t get out of his head. It’s like an odd form of torture.

The kiss was a mistake. Will is an RA and he’s just a resident. Even if he’s not actually one of _Will’s_ residents, there are still rules for this kind of thing. And he isn’t looking for a relationship, not right now. Maybe not ever. It’s just not the right time.

“ _No day but today,_ ” Mimi sings through his laptop speakers.

“Shut up,” Nico snarls, shutting the song off. The silence is deafening.

He gets halfway up the stairs to the fourth floor multiple times over the morning, until he finally makes it all the way to Will’s door.

_Knock. Knock._

Will opens the door and his entire face lights up in a grin. The words Nico spent the last hour rehearsing—something about being too busy with homework and staying friends and that kind of bullshit—die on the back of his tongue.

Instead he asks, “Do you want to come to lunch with me?”

Will grabs his keys and shuts the door behind him. “I’ll take any excuse to get away from chemistry.”

“Oh so I’m just an excuse now?” Nico smiles up at him as they push through the door to the stairs.

“A very timely one. Have you ever been to Olympus?”

Nico raises his eyebrows. “The home of the Greek gods and goddesses?”

Will laughs. “I’m going to take that as a no. Come on then. It’s a rite of passage in this place.”

Nico pats his pocket and slides to a halt. “But I don’t have any money.”

Will shrugs, grabbing his hand. “That’s okay. You can get the next one.”

Nico doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that there _will_ be a next time, but he says “Okay” anyway and follows Will out of the building. They turn in the opposite direction that Nico’s past wanderings took him and follow the streets.

“Have you been to the beach yet?” Will asks. He lifts his arm up like he’s going to throw it around Nico’s shoulders but seems to think better of it.

“Nope. I’m not a…huge fan of the beach.”

“And you came to California where it’s two miles away.” Will chuckles. “All right, where _have_ you been?”

Nico remembers his past couple weeks shut up in his room and stares at the sidewalk. “I’ve been to the park.”

Will smacks his palm against his face. “The pier? Hart’s Cove? Jack’s Bar and Grill?”

Nico stares blankly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Will’s mouth drops open. “The pier is pretty self-explanatory. Hart’s Cove is this great spot on the ocean that’s really hard to get to if you don’t know where it is. Jack’s Bar and Grill is like _the_ place to go, whether you want to study, hang out, eat, drink, whatever.”

“Study?”

He nods eagerly. “Jack has a couple rooms in the back that people can check out for study groups. There’ve been fights over them during finals week. People take it very seriously.”

“That’s a bit insane.”

“Yeah,” Will says lightly and turns the corner, pushing through a door. Nico glances up at the sign above: _Olympus_ in simple gold letters.

The inside isn’t quite as extravagant as Nico would imagine the home of gods would be, but it does still fit with the theme. Clouds painted on the ceiling. The walls painted to look like rolling fields. Booths and chairs backed with white rods like columns.

Will drops himself into a booth and Nico slides in on the other side.

“Does this city have some kind of Greek attachment?” Nico asks, staring around at the rest of the decor.

Will shrugs, waving at someone on the other side of the room. Nico resists the urge to scrunch down in his seat. “This place was built by someone who lived in our building. I guess they thought it would be funny and the name stuck.”

Kayla pops up next to their table, a green apron wrapped around her waist, and sets down a couple of menus. The grin on her face seems a little too wide to be normal. “What can I get you two? And by that, I mean Nico.”

“Uh.” Nico stares back at her. “Coke.”

“Sure.” Kayla flits away and Nico raises an eyebrow at Will.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize she’d be working this afternoon.” Will smiles apologetically. “I come here a lot.”

“I can tell.” Nico grins. “Why not Jake’s Grill and Bar or whatever it is?”

“Popular places come with their downfalls. And this place has great fries.” Kayla swings by the table and sets down a basket of them. “See?”

Nico pulls out a couple, jerking back as they burn his fingers, and pops them in his mouth. They aren’t bad at all. “I’ll give you the fries.”

“Right?” Will sprinkles some more salt on them as Kayla returns. “You’re the best. Did you know that?”

“Yes.” She grins at the two of them. “Burger for Will. What for Nico?”

“Burger sounds great. Extra pickles. Thanks.”

“Sure.” Kayla jots something down on her order pad and hurries away.

“So, where are you from?” Will asks, a goofy smile on his face.

Nico wraps his paper straw wrapper around his finger and then watches it uncurl. “Washington DC.”

“You’re a long way from home.”

Nico nods, but doesn’t elaborate. “I suppose I am.”

“What brought you here to our humble school?”

Nico laughs. From what he’s seen, their school is far from humble. “I wanted to come to the other side of the country. This place has a program in Classical Civilization. It’s harder to find than you think.”

“Fair enough.” Will grins.

“Where are you from?” Nico relaxes as he attempts to turn the conversation away from himself. Talking isn’t so bad when it’s about someone else.

“Here.” Will waves his hand around. “Almost literally. I’ve been coming to this exact restaurant since I was six.”

“Is that why you came here? Hometown advantage?” Nico grabs the last bits of the fries and pops them into his mouth. Will watches every move.

Will shrugs. “It’s nice to stay where things are familiar. I like it here. I didn’t feel the need to leave.”

“And now?”

Will holds his gaze in a way that makes Nico freeze in his seat. “Now I’m open to the idea.”

Kayla chooses that moment to return with two burgers and another platter of fries before saying, “Let me know if you need anything else” and disappearing again.

Will immediately drowns his burger in ketchup. He raises an eyebrow when he catches Nico staring with a mildly disgusted expression. “What?”

“Nothing.” Nico shakes his head and takes a bite. It’s delicious. “Damn. This is good.”

“Told you.” Will grins and his tongue flicks out, swiping up a drop of ketchup from the corner of his mouth.

They talk easily while they finish eating. Nico changes the subject whenever it creeps on to him, but if Will notices he doesn’t say anything. They easily polish off both burgers and the second order of fries. Will covers the bill and they head out.

“What are you up to for the rest of the day?” Will asks when they’re halfway back to campus.

Nico shrugs. “I have a Geography exam on Monday that I should probably study for.”

“A good RA would tell you that would be a good idea.” Will slams to a halt and Nico isn’t sure if he likes the grin that’s spreading over his face.

“Good thing you’re not my RA then, right?” Nico replies.

“Exactly.” Will throws an arm around his shoulders. “Want to go to Hart’s Cove?”

Nico glances towards campus. He can just see the top of one of the buildings peeking over the rest of the town. His textbooks are in his room, waiting for him to get back from what wasn’t even supposed to be a lunch date.

He’s about to say no when he makes the mistake of looking back at Will. The boy’s still grinning, wearing his heart in his eyes. “Why not?” Nico says instead.


	9. Chapter 9

Will leads Nico back to the parking lot outside of their hall, to a rusty red Jeep sitting in the front row.

“Say hello to my chariot,” Will says, pulling his keys out and unlocking it.

“Your chariot?” Nico stares back at him, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t knock her.” Will swings into the front seat and settles down. Nico shrugs and climbs in.

Nico watches the city pass them by outside the windows, wondering if it’s strange that he’s seen so little of it despite living there for a couple weeks.

Will flicks on the radio and some kind of soft rock croons through the stereo. Nico wrinkles his nose but doesn’t comment.

It isn’t long before the city gives way to a long stretch of beach one side of the road. “I still can’t believe you haven’t been out here,” Will says. “It’s like sacrilege.”

Nico shrugs. “I don’t look that great in a bathing suit.”

Will looks him up and down quickly before returning his gaze back to the road. “I find that very hard to believe.”

Nico tugs at his collar, his skin oddly hot. “I don’t own one either.”

“That’s okay.” Will’s grin turns strangely wicked. “Out here, sometimes you don’t need one.”

Nico’s saved from having to come up with a response when they pull into a turn-off on the side of the road. It’s empty, the gravel marked with tire tracks and littered with cigarette butts. Nico doesn’t see anything but trees.

“What are we doing here?” he asks, looking around for any signs of a “cove.”

Will laughs and pulls a blanket out of the backseat, tossing it over his shoulder. “I told you, this is a secret place. Hush-hush. If anyone could find it just by pulling off the side of the road then it wouldn’t be a very good secret.”

“So how do we get there?” Nico asks.

Will knocks the door shut with his hip and hikes off into the trees. Nico rolls his eyes and jogs after him.

It’s a nice day, sunny and warm. Nico finds himself wishing for the gray of clouds, but there isn’t a single one to be found. The trees are sparse, leaves reaching high for the sky, and not leaving any sunlight for underbrush.

Will grabs his hand as they walk, twining their fingers together. Nico doesn’t pull away. Out here, underneath the trees with only birds twittering around them, he can almost forget that there’s anything else to the world.

“I’ve never been much for hiking,” Nico says, breaking the silence after several minutes.

“Really?” Will grins down at him. “I would have thought you’d be out climbing mountains.”

“Shut up.” Nico bumps him with his shoulder. “Before we moved to DC, we lived near the woods. And sometimes I’d go out at night if I couldn’t sleep and just walk for miles.”

“Sounds creepy.”

Nico shrugs. “I’ve never been afraid of the dark.” It’s almost comforting, the velvet black and the waving shadows and the silver light of the moon.

“I’d rather have this.” Will splays his free arm out, motioning at the trees and the sky. “The sun, the trees, the warm.”

Nico glances around with the slightest smile. “It is beautiful.”

They keep walking and, despite the fact that there is no sign of a path, Will seems to know exactly where he’s going. “Do you have some sort of sixth sense or are there directions like ‘Turn right at the funny shaped rock’ or ‘Walk until you can’t hear the road and then turn left’?” Nico asks.

Will laughs. “I’ve been out here more times than I can count. I know where it is.”

Nico’s still trying to decide if he’s made a horrible mistake when he hears the sound of the ocean. It isn’t long before they’re emerging on a stretch of beach, encircled by rocky cliffs except where they’ve emerged, where the forest gives way directly to the beach. It’s empty, just a few crushed beer cans dotted about the sand.

“Welcome to Hart’s Cove,” Will says, kicking off his shoes and socks and tossing them down on the border of leaves with the blanket.

“There isn’t anyone here,” Nico says, slowly removing his own shoes. The sand is hot and soft against his skin.

“Yeah.” Will chuckles. “That’s the point. It gets a lot busier after dark.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Nico walks forward, following the line of the cliff. The rock is gray and craggy, stretching up into the sky.

Will kicks up a spray of sand as he sprints down the beach and into the water. It laps at the edges of his shorts but he doesn’t seem to notice. Nico walks down more slowly, picking his way around the crumpled beer cans.

“Do you know how to swim?” Will asks, wading around where the waves push over his waist.

Nico raises his eyebrows. “Of course I know how to swim.”

“Just checking.” Will wanders closer and then launches without warning, crashing into the water and taking Nico with him.

Nico pushes away and comes up spluttering. His clothes cling to his body, the wet fabric uncomfortable. Will pops up next to him, grinning. His bangs hang down in wet strings in front of his eyes.

“You’re going to get it,” Nico snarls, ruining the effect slightly by rubbing the water out of his eyes.

Will looks him up and down, sticking his tongue out between his teeth. Nico tackles him, plunging the two of them into the surf. They tumble underneath the waves, Nico tangling his legs with Will’s. It isn’t until they pop up again and freeze that Nico realizes that he’s somehow become wrapped up in Will’s arms.

Nico lets go, meaning to slide back into the water, but Will tightens his grip. His nails bite into Nico’s hips, crushing their chests against each other. Nico scrambles to brace himself on Will’s shoulders.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Will asks, holding his lips against Nico’s neck.

“Hey, you started it,” Nico replies, his voice strangely low and rough.

Will pulls away just enough to look him in the eyes. Nico holds his breath, waiting for a kiss that doesn’t come. The waves push impatiently over them. One of Will’s hands slides up, splaying over the small of Nico’s back.

Nico pushes forward into a kiss. He traces his tongue along Will’s bottom lip, tasting the salt of the ocean water, and Will opens his mouth to him.

Chills, hot and cold, race down Nico’s spine. He tangles one of his hands in Will’s hair, the wet strands wrapping around his fingers. He’s kissed before, but never like this. Never someone he was _really_ into.

The thought sends a bolt of fear crashing through him. He pushes hard against Will’s chest. Neither of them was expecting it and they crash into the waves.

“You okay?” Will asks when they come back up, coughing water out of their lungs.

Nico nods, pushing his bangs back out of his eyes. He doesn’t know what else to say. Doesn’t know how to explain that he never wanted the kiss to end and that’s exactly why it had to.

“We should get going.” Will looks toward the beach and Nico follows his gaze, taking in a group of teenagers stumbling out of the woods. Three of them have a keg between them.

“Yeah.” Nico follows Will out of the water and they slide into their shoes. Nico winces at the rasping of damp fabric against his skin but there isn’t anything to be done for it now. They don’t say anything as Will waves his acknowledgment to the invaders before disappearing into the woods.


	10. Chapter 10

“So, what’d you think?” Will asks once they’re back in the car.

“It was nice. The cliffs are nice. The beach is nice. Swimming is…”

“Nice?” Will cuts him off with a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes. The Jeep rumbles as he turns the key in the ignition.

“I was going to say refreshing.” Nico stares at his hands, feeling for the slight ridges left behind by the water. He opens his mouth to add an apology, but nothing comes out. Will’s silent as he pulls a U-turn and heads back toward town.

“Thanks for taking me,” Nico says, climbing out of the Jeep once they’re back on campus. It’s the first time either of them have said something since leaving the turn-off for Hart’s Cove.

“Anytime,” Will replies, keeping his eyes on his car as he pulls out the key and opens the door. The two of them step into the hall together, but Will turns immediately to go up the stairs to his own floor. Nico sighs, leaning against the wall for a moment.

One day and he’d already fucked things up. Maybe that was for the best, though. If Will lost interest in him now, he wouldn’t have to worry about later.

Nico locks himself in his room, flipping the TV to some obnoxious reality show for some background noise. He stays there for the rest of the night and then finds it impossible to leave as the week goes on. He still goes to class but that’s about it, existing mostly on peanut butter sandwiches and Fruit Loops.

Nico jumps every time he hears a knock, but more often than not it’s someone knocking across the hall instead. When there really is a knock on his door, it takes Nico a few minutes to realize it. He peeks through the hole to see Will on the other side.

He should probably answer that. Apologize. See what Will wants. Instead, Nico ducks down and listens until he hears Will walk away. He doesn’t come back again. Nico isn’t sure if he’s relieved or disappointed.

It’s Wednesday and he’s doing push-ups just to distract himself when the phone rings.

“Hey, little bro,” Bianca says when he answers.

It’s not _kid_ but it’s still not much better. Nico ignores it. “Hey, Bianca.”

“You sound delighted to hear from me.” Her tone’s a bit hurt and Nico feels guilty.

“I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy few days. How are you?” Nico mutes the TV and flops back on his bed. If he closes his eyes, he can pretend they’re both lying on his bed at home talking like when they were kids.

“I’m good.” She sighs, followed by the crinkle of a bag and then a loud crunching sound.

“Damn it, Bianca, stop eating pretzels while you’re on the phone.”

“Sorry.” She’s silent for a few moments, followed by a continuous rustle as she rolls up the bag. “There. Happy?”

“Ecstatic.”

“Anyway, my art history professor told me that my paper was ‘uninspired.’ I don’t even know what that means.”

“It’s a paper, not a painting,” Nico says, trying hard to pay attention to what his sister is saying instead of just getting lost in the sound of her voice.

“That’s what I said! Granted I probably shouldn’t have said it to her face.”

“You didn’t.” Nico can’t help but smile.

“Oh, I did. Please tell me you haven’t said anything stupid to your professors.”

“Not that I know of.” Nico sighs, thinking over the past week. “We had our first Geography exam this week. Name all the European capitals.”

“Did you study?” Bianca’s already laughing like she knows where this is going.

“Not a word.”

“Did you ace it?”

“Of course.” Nico grins into the phone. “I think there might be more than a couple people in that class that hate me.”

“They’re just jealous that they didn’t get to live in Europe for half their life.” Bianca chuckles. “Anything else?”

“Class. You know how that goes.”

Bianca hums in understanding. “Do anything fun recently?”

Nico thinks back on the bonfire, the movie night, Olympus, Hart’s Cove. “Not really.”

“You didn’t go to, like, a rave every night or anything?”

Nico snorts. “Seriously, Bianca?”

She’s laughing too hard to answer. “How’s Will?”

Nico opens his mouth to say something like _I haven’t seen him around much_ or _He’s fine_ or _None of your business_ but instead the whole story comes spilling out. He tells her about meeting him, Will’s reading and essay help, the movie night and the kiss, and finally lunch and impromptu beach visit. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” Nico sits up on the bed, resting his forehead against his knees.

Bianca makes a sympathetic sound. “It’s clear that he likes you and that you like him. So what’s the problem? And don’t give me that _he’s an RA_ bullshit again.”

“He _is_ an RA.” Nico bangs his forehead against his knee. “Fine. I don’t know what the problem is.”

Bianca sighs. “Nico, you can’t hide out in your room forever. Will sounds like a great guy.”

“He is.” Nico clenches his eyes tight, trying to stop the flood of images of Will. “I just know that it’s not going to work out.”

“You can’t know that. Look—” Bianca freezes at the sound of a knock on the door. “Was that on your end?”

“Yeah. Hold on a sec.” Nico climbs out of bed and sets the phone down on his desk. It’s Hazel.

“Hey, Nico,” Hazel says, grinning at him in that “friendly RA” sort of way. “I just wanted to let you know that Hades House is hosting a party Friday night in the basement with a couple other houses. Starts at eight and there’ll be lots of food.”

Nico resists the urge to laugh at the offer of food. “Thanks. Um…which other houses?”

Hazel raises an eyebrow at that but says, “Zeus from seventh floor and Aphrodite from first.”

“Cool. I might come by. Lots of homework to do.”

“Of course.” Hazel’s smile slips into soft and understanding. “If you need a study break, you can always stop by.”

“Thanks.” Nico nods at her and closes the door, going back to pick up the phone.

“So are you going?” Bianca asks the moment he’s back on the line.

Nico groans, wishing she hadn’t heard the invitation. “I have two exams next week and a paper due. I don’t have time to go to a party.”

“Nico di Angelo, I’m pretty sure you have most of your homework for the next week and a half done already. You go to that party.”

“You’re my big sister. Shouldn’t you be telling me _not_ to go to the party?” Nico sits down on the edge of the bed. There’s a stack of audiobooks sitting there, checked out from the library, but she’s right. He could easily put them off for a few days and still be ahead.

“Not this time.” Bianca chuckles. “Have fun and be safe.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too.” The call ends, leaving only silence behind. Nico’s eyes are drawn back to his closet. Apollo House wasn’t invited so he should be safe from running into Will. The very least he can do is show up and if it’s too bad then he can just leave.

For the hundredth time, Nico wonders if he should visit Will and explain but then the last time he tried to bring things to a halt between them they’d ended up going out to lunch together. And the cove. And making out in the ocean. Maybe it would be better if he just left it alone.


	11. Chapter 11

Nico doesn’t really know where the basement is, but in the end he decides that following the smell of pizza is a pretty safe bet. The ceilings are strung with blue and white streamers; white tablecloths cover the rickety tables. People are gathered throughout the room, though mostly around what Nico assumes is the food table.

He makes his way in that direction, intending to grab a couple pieces of pizza before making a break for it, when Hazel pops out of nowhere and says, “Nico!”

“Hey,” Nico replies, stuttering to a halt and smiling at her.

“I’m glad that you could make it.” Hazel beams at him. “Grab some pizza. I just need to run upstairs to get the napkins.”

“Sure.” Hazel dashes out of the basement, leaving Nico with a group of strangers. He does the only thing he can do.

He nudges his way through the crowd around the food table and snatches a couple pieces of pizza before finding an empty seat in a corner. A couple sharing a plate drop down next to him, wrapped up in each other. The girl has striking black hair that curls down to the middle of her back. The boy is African American and looks like he could take on an entire football team single-handedly.

Nico edges away, turning his attention to the pizza. It’s a little bit cold but still delicious.

For the most part, Nico holes himself up in the corner and watches everyone else. He doesn’t recognize anyone except Hazel and a couple of others from around the house.

The girl and boy leave after about ten minutes, saying their goodbyes to Hazel before heading upstairs. Nico’s alone for a few minutes before a massive blond boy drops himself down on the empty seat.

“Hey,” he says. “I’m Jason.”

Nico glances over, taking in his broad shoulders rippling with muscles. “Nico.”

“Here for the free food or the conversation?” Jason asks, an eyebrow raised as he eyes Nico’s empty plate.

Nico suppresses the laugh rising in his throat. “Hazel asked me to come.”

“Hades House?”

“Yep.” Nico sets his empty plate aside. “You?”

“Zeus.” Jason shoves a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “What year are you?”

“Freshman. You’re a sophomore?”

Jason shakes his head. “Junior. I’m Zeus’s RA, otherwise I would have been out of this building. What’s your major?”

“Classical Civilization.” He half-expects Jason to look horrified or bored at the idea, but instead his eyes light up.

“I’m Latin and Meteorology double, but I’ve taken a few Classical classes. If I thought I wouldn’t be here forever, I would add a third major.”

Nico scoffs. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe.” Nico’s wondering what it is that attracts RAs to him like a magnet when Will walks through the door. He glances around, eyes sliding over Nico.

Nico watches him walk across the room, open a pizza box, and frown when he finds it empty.

“That’s Will,” Jason says, following his gaze. “RA of Apollo House.”

“I know,” Nico murmurs, proud when his voice comes out perfectly even. “I’ve met him.”

“He’s a good guy.” Jason sounds oddly thoughtful. Nico knows that he should stop staring but he can’t seem to tear his eyes away. Will looks pretty good as he stops to chat with a group of girls that Nico figures must be from Aphrodite. “If you’d like to go talk to him…”

“No.” That snaps Nico out of it and he looks back at his hands. “I’m okay here.”

Jason inhales and his next words are hesitant. “If you like him, you should tell him how you feel.”

Nico glances up quickly, his mouth hanging open. “How do you…?”

Jason shrugs. “I know a lot about people and I’m pretty good at reading them.”

“I can’t tell him,” Nico points out. “He’s an RA. You know that.”

“You’re not one of his residents. We can’t be prohibited from dating completely. Is he into you?”

Nico thinks about the kiss in the ocean. “Yes.”

“Just think about it.” Jason stands up, brushing crumbs off his shirt. “It was nice meeting you, Nico.”

“Nice meeting you too.” Jason walks away and Nico watches him go before glancing back to the group of girls. Will is nowhere to be found.

Nico says his goodbyes to Hazel and heads back to his room. It feels strange, someone else knowing his secret. Strange but good. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, people knowing, especially if it meant having Will.

Which means that an apology is in order. Nico feels sick but he makes his way up the stairs to the fourth floor anyway.

He knocks on the door and spends the next hundred and thirty-eight seconds wondering what he’ll do if Will doesn’t answer.

Or worse, if he does and he’s not alone.

Will opens the door and seems taken aback when he sees Nico standing there. “Oh. Hey.”

“Can we talk?”

Will glances over his shoulder. “I’m actually getting ready for bed. Big RA meeting in the morning.”

Nico lets all of his desperation show on his face. “Please? I just want to talk. Only take a minute.”

Will softens and steps aside, closing the door behind them.

“Look, I’m really sorry.” Nico paces back and forth along the floor. It’s not a lot of space but he makes do. “I’m…I’m not _out_ to anyone but my sister and where I lived before, it wasn’t an accepting place. I’ve never liked anyone who liked me back before and I told you I’m not good at this.”

Will catches him by the wrist and Nico slides to a halt on the linoleum floor. “It’s hard to put yourself out there.”

Nico nods. “I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

Will slides just a little bit closer. “You don’t have to come out if you’re not ready. I just want you to know that.”

“Thank you.” Nico looks up at him, matching Will’s bright gaze. “If you’re willing to give me a second shot, I’m willing to try not to mess it up this time.”

Will chuckles. “We’ll take it slow.”

“Good.” Nico edges closer, until he can see every one of Will’s freckles.

“Nico di Angelo, will you be my boyfriend?” Will asks.

Nico thinks that sounds a little juvenile for two college boys but it’s so perfect that he feels butterflies rising in his stomach. “Yes.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on vacation this week and while my intention was to write both chapters last week that didn't happen. So there won't be a chapter on Thursday.

Will doesn’t go to bed early after all. He and Nico spend half the night just sitting on Will’s bed, talking about everything and nothing.

Nico finally leaves around three in the morning, kissing Will quickly on the lips before he steps out the door. His heart pounds as he makes his way down the stairs.

Before he changes into his usual worn T-shirt and sweatpants, he sends Bianca a quick text.

_I have a boyfriend._

Bianca’s response jars him out of sleep around six-thirty. _Please tell me it’s Will._

_Actually his name is Harlow. He’s a professor. Of Endocrinology._

_Right. And I’m sure he has gray hair, dirty fingernails, and likes it when you sit on his desk._

Nico winces, shoving his face into the pillow. That was a mental image he did not need. _Too far._

_You started it._

_I went to see Will yesterday. We stayed up most of the night talking._ Nico smiles at the memory and wonders if he’ll see Will today.

_I’m happy for you._

_Me too._ He drops his phone on his desk and goes to hop in the shower. No one is up this early so he has all the hot water to himself. He takes his time and then goes to breakfast, marveling in food that isn’t Froot Loops.

After that there’s nothing to do but kill time. Nico goes back to the dorms, grabs a couple of the audiobooks that Will lent him to listen to for fun, and heads to the lounge. There are a couple people in a corner, working on some sort of presentation, but other than that the room is empty.

Nico settles down on a couch that has seen better days and shoves his earbuds in.

He’s midway through _Fellowship of the Ring_ when Will flops down on the couch next to him. He raises an eyebrow in question and points at Nico’s computer.

Nico takes out one of the earbuds and hands it to him. Will gives him a thumbs-up, his face breaking into a grin. They sit side-by-side on the couch until Will reaches over and hits pause.

“As much as I love _Lord of the Rings,_ I’m starving. Wanna go order a pizza?” Will asks.

“Yeah, sure.” Nico winds up his headphones and shoves them in his pocket before closing his laptop. “Your room or mine?”

Will sighs. “Mine. It’s Saturday afternoon and I should probably be there in case of RA things.”

Nico’s a little disappointed, he really wanted to see what Will looks like on his bed, but he says “All right” and follows his boyfriend upstairs.

“What do you want on your half?” Will asks, dropping down on his bed and flipping through his phone to find the number.

Nico settles down on the beanbag chair. “Mushrooms and olives.”

“Ew.” Will wrinkles his nose. “Only for you.” He holds the phone up to his ear. Nico surveys the room and his eyes settle on Will’s DVD collection. About half musicals, half fantasy or sci-fi, and a couple random action movies.

“Twenty minutes,” Will says, dropping his phone to the bed. “See anything you like?”

Nico shrugs and sits back in his seat.

“Please tell me you’ve seen at least some of those movies.”

“I’ve seen…” Nico leans forward, pointing out the entire _Harry Potter_ series along with _Chronicles of Narnia_ and a few random movies besides. It’s maybe a quarter of the selection.

Will looks so horrified it’s almost worrying. “We’ll have to remedy that immediately.”

“Okay…” Nico watches as Will clambers off the bed and leans over the shelves.

“Have you seen this?” Will asks, holding up _Jurassic Park._

Nico scoffs. “Has anyone _not_ seen that movie? It’s a masterpiece.”

“Damn right.” He slides it back onto the shelf and pulls out _Pacific Rim._ “This one?”

“Nope.”

Will gasps and opens the case. The DVD player chirps at being woken up but he ignores it and puts the disc in. Nico yelps as he’s yanked out of the beanbag chair and pulled towards Will’s bed.

Will leans the pillows up against the wall and climbs up, sitting against them. “You coming?”

Nico laughs and pulls himself up onto the bed, settling in next to him. Will throws an arm over his shoulders.

Nico worries about where to rest his hands—in his lap, flat against his thighs, on the bed to either side—but once the movie starts he forgets all about that. Giant monsters rising out of the Pacific are cool. So are giant robots fighting giant monsters.

A knock on the door heralds the arrival of the pizza. Will pauses the movie before he goes to answer, returning a minute later with the large box in his hands. He settles the box between them on the bed and flicks the movie back on.

“What’d you get?” Nico asks, nodding at the box. There’s olives and mushrooms for him but Will’s half…

“Red onions and sundried tomatoes,” Will replies, taking a slice and wincing as it burns the tips of his fingers.

Nico waits a moment before picking up his own piece. They work their way through the whole pizza while the movie plays. Will starts crying at the end and Nico raises an eyebrow at him.

“Fuck you, it’s sad,” Will replies, brushing away the tears with the back of his hand. “They just…he was such a dick and then…”

Nico grabs his last piece and turns his attention back to the screen. When the credits roll, Will gets up and shoves the pizza box into the closet next to his recycling tub.

“What’d you think?” he asks, climbing back onto the bed.

“Surprisingly fantastic,” Nico says. “You know, for a movie about giant robots fighting alien monsters.”

“I know, right?” Will sighs and falls back onto the bed. Nico crawls over him and leans down for a kiss.

It’s soft and slow, almost to the point of being detached. If Nico didn’t know exactly how Will is capable of kissing, he’d be almost disappointed. Nico breaks away, staring down into Will’s blue eyes. “Kiss me for real,” he says.

Will rests a light hand against his side and grins teasingly. “I thought we were taking this slow.”

“Kiss me, Solace.” Nico kisses him hard then, taking Will’s lower lip between his teeth. That brings Will to life and he opens his mouth, licking his tongue over the roof of Nico’s mouth.

Nico shudders at the sensation and fights back. Will tastes like onion and pizza sauce and Nico thinks that he might be able to get used to that.

Will’s hand slides underneath his shirt, thumb pressing against the warmth of the skin below. Nico breaks away, breathing hard, and presses his face into the crook of Will’s neck. He’s about to come in for another kiss when there’s a frantic knock on the door.

Will’s eyes shoot open as Nico clambers back off him. He goes into RA mode immediately and heads to the door.

“Oh thank God,” a girl that Nico doesn’t recognize says. “My roommate fainted and I don’t know what to do. I called 911 but…”

“I’ll be right there,” Will assures her and she must run away because Nico can hear the thunder of her footsteps back down the hall. Will leaves the door open and comes back into the room, frantically snatching up his phone and keys.

“You’re welcome to stay here,” he tells Nico. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Nico glances back at the pillow where they’d been so recently making out. The moment is past now and he doesn’t really want to try to force it back. Will has other things to deal with. “Thanks but I think I’m going to go home. Breakfast in the morning?”

“Sounds great,” Will says but it’s clear his mind is down the hall. He kisses Nico quickly and then heads out.

Nico takes a moment to collect himself, pat down his hair, and straighten his clothes before he locks the door and goes back to his dorm.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back safe at home from my vacation. :) Chapters will now go on as usual, including Thursday's despite the fact that it's Thanksgiving.

Nico knocks on Will’s door around ten. He hears a thump followed by cursing and then Will is there. His hair is sticking up on one side of his head and he’s wearing only sweatpants.

“Give me a minute,” Will says through a yawn, blinking at Nico. “It was a long night.”

“Okay.”

Will wanders back into the room, flicking on the light as he goes. Nico steps hesitantly inside, watching as Will pulls some clothes out of his drawers and disappears into the bathroom.

A few minutes later Will returns, looking significantly more awake. “Was everything okay?” Nico asks while Will tugs on his shoes.

“Yeah.” Will yawns again. “She’s going to be fine. I was just up all night.”

“I’m glad.” Nico glances back at the open door. “We don’t have to go to breakfast, you know. If you want to just sleep.”

“Nah.” Will’s teeth click together as he suppresses another yawn. “Let’s go.”

Nico smirks and follows him out the door. They hit up the dining hall, claiming a table out of the way. Nico grabs a chocolate chip muffin and a bowl of cereal.

He’s starting to wonder if Will has fallen asleep somewhere when he finally shows up, plate laden with an omelet, hash browns, and a bowl of strawberries. Nico raises his eyebrow but doesn’t comment on it.

“Do you have anything planned for today?” Will asks, settling into the omelet.

“Listen to _Atlas Shrugged_ again. I have a test over it tomorrow.”

Will wrinkles his nose. “Sounds like a fun time.”

“Totally.” Nico eats his last bite of cereal and picks up the muffin. “Why? Do you have something in mind?”

Will laughs and shakes his head. “I’m not getting you out of your studying, Nico.”

“What kind of boyfriend are you if not the type to steal me away from the torture of studying?”

“The responsible kind.” Will does his best to look perfectly innocent and Nico snorts. “I have some homework to take care of anyway.”

“You’re going to go back to your room and sleep, aren’t you?”

“Yep.” Will grins and Nico laughs as he looks back at his muffin. “Oh hey, give me your phone.”

“Okay…” Nico hands it over and only relaxes when he realizes that Will is typing in his number. He sends himself a text before he hands it back.

Once Will has polished off the last of his breakfast, they head back to their respective dorms. Nico settles down in front of his desk, earbuds in.

He’s halfway through the audiobook when his phone buzzes. _Study break. Get up here and kiss me._

Nico glances at the clock. He can spend a few minutes with Will and still finish the book with plenty of time to spare. He texts back, _As you wish._

He tries to take his time putting his laptop to sleep and deciding if shoes are necessary but all he wants is to be upstairs. He takes another second to lock the door before he bolts up the stairs.

Will opens the door with a grin, reaching out to pull Nico inside. Before Nico can stop to think, his back is pressed against the door and Will is kissing him.

Nico kicks himself that they haven’t been doing this the whole time instead of studying. Will sucks Nico’s tongue into his mouth and there isn’t much room left in his head for thoughts after that.

The door is hard and unforgiving against his back but Nico doesn’t much want to break the kiss to move to more comfortable places. He presses his hands against Will’s chest, backing them into the room and then letting Will guide him to the bed.

Nico breaks the kiss just long enough to clamber onto the bed, falling backwards and thumping his head against the wall.

Will laughs, climbing up after him with significantly more grace. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Nico arranges himself properly on the bed and grabs at Will’s shirt. “Now get back down here.”

“So demanding.” Nico can feel the vibrations of Will’s laughter as he leans down into the kiss.

Will runs the flat of his tongue over the roof of Nico’s mouth, making him shudder. He can’t believe he’s here, in this moment.

He can’t believe that he almost fucked this up and missed it all.

Nico drops his head back against the pillow. Will kisses down his throat, grazing his teeth over the beat of Nico’s pulse. “ _Sono contento che tu sia qui con me._ ” The words slip out before Nico can think about it.

Will slides over onto his side, leg resting gently over Nico’s. Not pinning him down, just there. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” Nico slides a hand into his hair, trying to tug him back in.

“Did you just speak _Italian_?”

Nico shifts on the bed, putting a little more space between them. His skin feels cold without the press of Will’s warmth. “I was born in Venice.”

“Cool.” Will kisses him on the cheek. “Can you speak any other languages?”

“English.” Nico grins at him and Will snorts, leaning over to catch his bottom lip between his teeth. Nico twines his fingers through his hair, holding him in place. When Will tries to pull away, he holds on tighter.

Will chuckles and loosens Nico’s grip. He ducks his head, brushing his lips over Nico’s forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know,” Nico says, but the desperate thumping of his heart against his ribs tells otherwise.

“I should probably let you get back to your work.” Will starts to move away, like he’s going to slide off the bed. Nico snarls and rolls them over, pinning Will to the bed.

“I thought you said you weren’t going anywhere?” Nico teases, catching Will’s lips with his own. They kiss until they lose all track of time and Nico doesn’t know if it’s been hours or days.

He rolls off onto his side, cuddling his face into Will’s shoulder. The RA of Apollo House runs his fingers through his hair, ruffling it every which way. It feels so good that Nico can’t bring himself to care that it’s getting messed up.

“I never finished that book,” Nico grumbles into Will’s shirt. He feels warm and loose, like he’s never going to move from this spot again. “I should go back to my room.”

Will’s arms tighten just the slightest bit around him. “Alternatively you could stay here.”

Nico tugs away, just enough that he can see Will’s face. The boy stares back at him, his blue eyes half-closed but still intense. Nico nods and sits up, moving to drag the blankets out from under both of them.

They don’t say anything more as they cuddle up to each other. Nico closes his eyes and tries not to pay too much attention to the way his heart is soaring.


	14. Chapter 14

Nico wakes before Will in the morning and slips out of bed. He can’t resist the urge to lean over and brush his lips quickly over Will’s forehead. He wishes that he could stay, share a real good morning kiss, but the clock says it’s almost seven in violent red numbers and he has class at eight.

Eight in the morning on Monday. Whose idea was that.

A few hours later he leaves class to find a text on his phone from Will. _I missed you this morning._

_Sorry. Class,_ Nico sends back.

They meet up again that night, mostly doing homework in the same room with intermittent breaks to make out. That’s exactly how the rest of the week goes. Nico doesn’t spend another night in Will’s room, always returning to his own before letting himself fall asleep.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to. He tells himself that it’s so he can actually be ready to go to class each day. He tells himself that it’s better if he’s not there if Will has an RA emergency. The truth is the easy way he and Will fell asleep together terrifies him.

Friday night finds them both spooned up next to each other on the bed, flipping through channels. Will takes a deep breath. “Kayla asked me to a movie night in the common room tomorrow night,” he says hesitantly.

“That’s okay.” Nico runs a hand through Will’s hair. “I’ve got a paper that I should probably deal with.”

Will tosses the remote aside and rolls over, resting his hand against Nico’s chest. “I want you to come with me.”

“Okay…” Nico’s heart starts to beat harder against Will’s hand.

“As my boyfriend.”

Nico licks his lips, his eyes searching Will’s. “Yes. Okay.”

Will grins and leans over into a kiss. Around midnight, Nico lays back on half of Will’s pillow and closes his eyes. Just a few more minutes and then he’ll go back to his own room.

Nico wakes up at eight, the jeans he’s still wearing itching at his legs. He tries to clamber out of bed but Will tightens his grip around his waist.

“Stay,” Will mumbles, pressing a sleepy kiss against the back of Nico’s neck. “It’s Saturday.”

“Fine.” Nico stops moving and settles back into the warmth of the bed. He wasn’t really interested in leaving anyway.

A couple hours later Will is forced from the bed to use the bathroom and Nico kisses him goodbye to go back to his room. He showers quickly, feeling oddly regretful at having to wash away the scent of Will.

Nico writes and deletes paragraphs for his essay for the rest of the morning and half the afternoon. He just can’t stop thinking about meeting up with Will. He knows Kayla will be fine with it but it just seems so strange.

At five his phone chirps with a text from Will. _Is seven okay? There’ll be pizza._

_Seven’s fine._ Nico leans back in his chair. Somehow the confirmed time just makes everything worse. He abandons his essay.

Nico is a few minutes early as he makes his way up the stairs. A quick peek through the common room’s window shows that it’s empty. He knocks on Will’s door instead.

“Hey,” Will says, answering with a grin. “Just a minute. I’m trying to find…ah.” Will digs through his closet for a moment before triumphantly pulling out a battered game of _Operation._

“I thought this was a movie night?”

“It is.” Will tucks the game under his arm and Nico moves aside so he can come out and lock the door. “There can be games and movies simultaneously.”

“All right.” Nico follows him across the hall into the common room. He can’t keep the smirk from his face as Will settles down on the couch that they’d first kissed against.

“You can sit,” Will says, patting the cushion next to him and blushing slightly like he knows exactly what’s going on in Nico’s head.

Austin joins them a couple minutes later, _Clue_ tucked under his arm. “Hey, Will, Nico. Kayla’s just running a few minutes late from a meeting.”

“What meeting?” Will asks, his arm sliding from the back of the couch to rest around Nico’s shoulders. Will doesn’t move it.

“Archery or something?” Austin flops down into an armchair. “Not sure. I wasn’t really listening.”

Kayla bursts in five minutes later, carrying her massive DVD case in one hand with a box of pizza balanced on her arm. Nico jumps to his feet and takes the pizza from her. “Thanks, Nico,” she says, dropping the DVD case on the table. “That was a lot trickier than it seemed.”

Nico settles back down on the couch while Will leans forward to flip open the pizza box. Half-pepperoni and half-mushrooms. “I lobbied for olives too,” Will says while all four of them snatch up pieces.

“Gross,” Austin says, picking up a piece of pizza in each hand. “Yo, where’s the Dr. Pepper?”

“Shit.” Will leaps to his feet and hurries back out the door.

“So you and Will, huh?” Kayla asks, eyebrow raised. “You know, he’s never brought anyone to our movie nights before.”

Nico opens his mouth to reply but Will bursts back through the door at that moment, a pair of two-liters and a stack of plastic cups in his hands. “Stop talking about me. My ears are burning.”

Kayla smirks at him. “Just trying to decide what movie to watch.”

“Something with lots of action,” Austin says, taking one of the two-liters from Will to pour himself a cup. “Don’t say _Princess Bride_ again.”

“ _Edge of Tomorrow_?” Will suggests.

Kayla wrinkles her nose and starts flipping through her case. “No Tom Cruise.”

In the end _Batman Begins_ goes in the DVD player and _Clue_ is spread out on the floor. Nico settles down next to Will, Kayla and Austin on the other side of the board.

Kayla smiles when Will reaches over and twines his fingers with Nico’s. A hum vibrates in Nico’s bones, until he realizes that Will is trying to use his distraction to peek at his sheet of paper.

“Hey,” Nico says, clutching the paper to his chest. “No cheating. Just because you’re my boyfriend doesn’t mean it isn’t game on.”

“Oh.” Will’s eyes dance with mischief. “Bring it.”

The movie ends and the credits roll without them noticing. Nico grins with triumph as he says. “Professor Plum in the kitchen with the lead pipe.”

“How dare you accuse me of murder?” Will looks so affronted that Nico can’t help but laugh.

Kayla leans over and picks up the sleeve in the middle. She slides the cards out and spreads them in the middle of the board. Professor Plum. Kitchen. Lead pipe.

“Well done, Nico,” Austin says. “Looks like Will might finally have met his match.”

Will’s gaze catches Nico’s, eyes intense. Nico resists the urge to squirm in his seat. “Two out of three?” Will challenges.

“You’re on.”

In the end, it’s a draw. Will wins the next game but Kayla takes the last one. “One more?” Kayla asks as she shuffles the cards.

Austin yawns and gets to his feet, stumbling on unsteady legs. “I should probably get to bed.”

“Guys?” Kayla glances at Will and Nico but they shake their heads, standing up. “Ah well. It’s been fun.”

Nico helps her put the game away while Will cleans up the litter of cups and pizza crusts. Once she’s gone, Will catches Nico up in his arms, whirling him around. “Where did you get your _Clue_ skills?”

“Secrets of the trade.” Nico grins at him. “My sister and I used to play all the time.”

“I look forward to learning your secrets, _Clue_ master.” Will presses a kiss to his lips. “Stay with me tonight?”

“Not tonight.” Nico’s heart is trying to claw its way between his ribs. “I should probably at least pretend to live in my own room.”

“Okay.” Will kisses him once more before letting go. “Good night, Nico.”

“Good night, Will.”


	15. Chapter 15

“We should go out to dinner tonight,” Will says, splayed across his bed. Nico’s curled up in the beanbag chair, staring blankly out the window.

It’s Friday afternoon and Nico feels like his head is spinning with relief. For some reason every one of his classes had decided this would be a good week to have the first exam.

Nico yawns and leans his head back against the wall. “Okay.”

“Celebrate surviving the first round of exams,” Will continues. “Somewhere nice. As a real date.”

Nico opens his eyes slowly. “How nice?”

“Not suit and tie material.” Will slides off the bed and walks over to sit next to him. “Somewhere nicer than Jack’s, though.”

“I’m buying.” Nico raises an eyebrow.

Will shakes his head. “It was my idea.”

“You bought last time.” Nico leans in and kisses his boyfriend quickly. “Let me take you out to dinner.”

“Fine. But I’ll have you know I don’t take guys home with me on the first date.”

“Oh shut up.” Nico grabs him by the collar and tugs him into his lap for a proper kiss. They extricate themselves from each other an hour later, to change clothes and get ready to go out.

Nico settles on a black button-up and a pair of clean jeans. He’s stepping into his shoes when Will knocks on the door.

He’s wearing a blue button-down and jeans, one hand tucked behind his back. “What are you doing?” Nico asks.

“I brought you flowers.” Will smirks as pulls his hand out. Clasped in it are a handful of pencils stuck in origami flowers.

“Are those—” Nico leans closer and takes them “—flashcards?”

“Maybe.” Will grins as Nico tucks them into his pencil holder like it’s a vase. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep.” Nico swings his jacket on and grabs his keys. “Are you going to tell me where I’m taking you?”

“It’s a surprise.” Will leads him out to his Jeep and hops in the drivers’ seat. Nico climbs in the other side. “Would you know what I’m talking about if I said?”

Nico huffs and leans back in the seat. Probably not, but that’s not the point. Will drives seemingly by instinct, weaving through the street and heading west. They end up in the parking lot behind a little restaurant on the sea.

“How many?” the hostess asks with a smile when they step inside.

“Two,” Will replies. Nico stares around, trying to see everything at once. He’d expected some kind of ocean theme, but he’s pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is paneled with shiny red wood, divided into open sections. Decorations are minimal, mostly bright green plants. There’s a massive fish tank in the middle of the room.

Nico’s mind wanders to Percy and how much he would have loved this place. He looks back at Will to force his brain to the present.

The hostess shows them to a booth next to the window where they can look out and see the ocean. When a waitress comes to take their order, Will gets the fish. Nico orders the same.

“So you were born in Venice?” Will asks, his voice thick with restrained curiosity.

Nico stares at his napkin as he unrolls it and nods. “My sister and I both were.”

“When did you move to the states?”

Nico takes a deep breath. “I was seven and Bianca was nine. My mom had family in DC and we moved to be closer to them.”

“Do you miss it?”

Nico shrugs, smiling slightly. “Sometimes. I don’t remember very much of it, though. DC was my home for a long time and now this place is.”

Will’s smile is understanding and his eyes soft. Nico thinks he gets why he was picked to be an RA. “This is a pretty great place to live.”

“I think you might be biased.” Nico grins at him. “You don’t have a point of comparison.”

“Fair.” Will waves his arms. “All right then, well-traveled one. How does it compare?”

Nico glances around the restaurant while he tries to think. “This place is definitely slower paced than DC. Less people, less cars. I don’t hear sirens at all hours of the day and night.”

“Sounds chaotic.” Will wrinkles his nose.

“It was. But it was a cool place to live, too. All that history in one place.” Nico leans back as their waitress returns with their plates. The fish is still steaming.

Will asks Nico about his favorite places in DC and he has trouble listing them all, not wanting to leave anything out. Nico tries to ignore the way Will’s eyes light up just watching him talk. It’s weird, that single-minded focus on what he’s saying. Bianca’s really the last person who has listened to him like this.

It all comes screeching to a halt when Will gets around to the inevitable question: “What about your parents?”

Nico resists the urge to set down his fork, stomach rolling. “My dad’s an undertaker out in DC. His work keeps him busy so he’s not really around much. Not that Bianca and I notice now that we’re both gone.”

“Sounds a bit lonely,” Will says, his tone tentative.

“I don’t mind being alone.” Nico shrugs. “What about your family?”

Will ducks his head with a smile and seems to accept the change in subject. Nico relaxes and starts to pick at his food again. “My dad left us when I was two. He’s a traveling musician and staying in one place wasn’t really his style. My mom’s a poet and owns a bakery outside of town. She makes the best muffins ever.”

“Do you get to see her much?” Nico asks, thinking about how close they are.

Will shrugs. “I try to go home for at least one evening a week. She’s only fifteen minutes away, after all, but then she’s busy with the bakery and I’m busy with RA stuff. She understands.”

“That’s good.” Nico pushes his plate away, stuffed full.

“I also have two brothers. One of them is a sophomore at UCLA and the other one is a junior in high school.” Will snorts as he says it. “We get along really well, but…younger brothers.”

“Hey. Younger brother here,” Nico teases, grinning.

“Major pains.” Will grins back and tells him stories about the antics that he and his brothers got up to when they were kids while Nico picks up the check.

“So there I am standing outside covered in flour and of course it starts raining…” Will says as they head out of the restaurant. Nico struggles to walk bent in half with laughter.

“Did your mom catch you?” Nico asks, taking deep breaths until he’s able to stand up straight again and climb into the car.

“Yeah.” Will looks a bit grim at that. “She was really mad that we wasted all of that flour.”

It doesn’t seem like any time at all before Will is pulling into the parking lot next to the dorms. Nico says, “I had a good time” as they walk into the building.

“Isn’t that my line?” Will asks.

“All right then.” Nico links his fingers through Will’s belt loops as they stop in the stairwell. “Would you like to come to my room?”

“What kind of man do you take me for?” Will winks at him, acting innocently offended. Nico’s heart races in his chest. Will has never been to his room, not like this, and the idea of having him stretched across Nico’s own bed is one that he really wants to make a reality.

“Solace,” Nico growls, tugging him a little bit closer.

“I can’t.” Will’s face falls to serious. “I’m on duty tonight. You can come up with me, though?”

Nico shakes his head. “I’ll let you take care of your rounds.”

“Okay.” Will leans down into a kiss that feels soft and almost apologetic. “I’ll text you in the morning.”

“I’ll answer.” Nico lets go and Will kisses him once more before heading up the stairs. Nico feels strangely disappointed as he goes back to his room, alone.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: Next week is finals week for me and week-before-finals for my girlfriend/beta reader so chapters may be a day late. That's not my plan, but things are busy. 
> 
> Thank you, guys, for all the wonderful comments. I appreciate every single one of them. Enjoy! :)

Nico spends most of Saturday dealing with homework and laundry. He can think of multiple things he’d rather be doing, but it still has to be taken care of.

He calls Bianca around noon and tells her all about the last few days. She squeals in excitement in all the right places and tells him how proud she is of him.

Bianca’s in the middle of telling a story of her roommate setting off the fire alarm by trying to rinse a still-hot pan after cooking bacon when Nico’s phone chimes.

“So there we are trying to turn on all the fans…” Bianca says through laughter as Nico pulls the phone away from his ear and flicks over to his text messages.

_I need to tell you something. Can I come down?_

Nico texts back with shaking fingers, _Of course._

“Hey, Bianca?” he interrupts. She’s laughing so hard now she can’t actually get the words out.

She gasps for breath. “Yeah?”

“Will is coming over. He wants to talk. Is it okay if we continue this later?”

“Yeah, of course.” Bianca’s voice goes serious and quiet in an instant. “Is everything okay?”

“I think so. Guess I’ll find out.” They say their goodbyes and Nico hangs up the phone. He tries to sit still but it isn’t long before he’s pacing in front of the door.

Luckily he doesn’t have to wait long before Will knocks. Nico doesn’t bother pausing before he opens the door.

Will’s carrying a shoulder bag and wearing a grim smile. Nico’s heart drops into his stomach as he moves out of the way to let Will come in.

“Flynn, my brother in high school, got in a car accident last night. He’s okay but he’s going to be in the hospital for a couple days. I’m going home for a couple nights.”

Nico nods and reaches out for him, resting a hand on his arm. “Of course. I hope he gets out quickly.”

“So does he.” Will snorts. “I’ll call you, okay?”

“Okay.” Nico smiles and accepts a kiss. It’s soft and sweet, making him tingle from his head to his toes. Will doesn’t say anything more as he heads out.

Nico lets out a sigh, worry thumping through his veins, and settles back down at his desk. If he’s not going anywhere tonight, he might as well get some more work done.

Nico’s playing his fifteenth game of spider solitaire when his phone chimes. It’s nearly midnight but he doesn’t think he’d be able to sleep if he wanted to.

Especially with his upstairs neighbors apparently playing beer pong.

_I know you’re probably asleep but if not…_

Nico closes his laptop and climbs into bed, hitting “Call.”

“Hey.” Will’s voice sounds exhausted as he answers.

“Hi.” Nico tugs at a loose thread on his pillow. “How’s your brother?”

“You know. Can’t wait to get out. Keeps complaining about the hospital food. I told him it’s better than ours but he didn’t believe me.”

Nico laughs. “How are you doing?”

“I’m not the one in the hospital,” Will replies, but his tone is oddly grateful. “I’m doing okay.”

“Is it nice to be home?”

Will chuckles. “I wish the circumstances were better, but it’s not bad. My mom keeps fussing over me. I think I’ve eaten like ten cupcakes since I got here. She worries that I don’t eat enough.”

Nico pictures the big portions of food that he’s personally witnessed Will put away. “I think you’re doing fine there.”

“Yeah, well.” He’s silent for a moment and Nico hears the outrush of air from a suppressed yawn. “She’s my mom.”

“My mom…” Nico’s voice catches in his throat. “My mom was the same way.”

If Will catches the past tense, he doesn’t mention it. Nico lets out a sigh of relief. “Must be a mom thing. I’m stuffed full of sugar. I should be good until Thanksgiving. I tried to help her work on a cake but she chased me out of the kitchen.”

Nico crooks an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Um.” Will laughs. “I don’t think she’s forgiven me for the Great Sugar Incident of 2006.”

“Are you going to explain?” Nico lets his eyes slip closed. If he doesn’t pay too much attention to the phone in his hand, he can pretend that Will is in the room with him.

“It was my mom’s birthday and I wanted to make her a birthday cake. Among other things, the recipe called for three cups of sugar.”

“Okay.” It all seems relatively straight-forward to Nico.

“I want you to know that I _know_ how to bake a cake. I know how to measure out ingredients and mix them and put it in the oven.” Will takes a deep breath. “I looked at three cups of sugar and I thought, three _cups._ Not measuring cups, but actual cups. It seemed like a ridiculous amount of ingredients to me. I had to get a bigger bowl to fit everything in. But I did it and let’s just say it did _not_ turn out very well.”

“I imagine not.” Nico laughs. “You didn’t let her _taste_ it, did you?”

“Oh god no.” Nico can see Will shuddering even without being there. “I don’t even know what that thing was.”

“That’s disgusting.” Nico yawns and they lapse into silence for a few minutes, just listening to each other breathe through the phone. It’s oddly soothing.

“We should probably go to sleep,” Will says, voice strangely quiet and far away. “It’s late.”

“Will you be back tomorrow?”

“Maybe late. I’m not sure.” There’s a knock on the door at the other end of the line. “That’s my mom telling me to keep it down. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Will.”

“Good night.”

Nico ends the call and puts the phone aside. He curls up and closes his eyes again, the echoes of Will’s voice lulling him to sleep.

Nico rolls himself out of bed the next morning and heads to breakfast alone. At least he thinks he’ll be eating alone until he hears someone yell, “Nico!”

He looks around, spotting Austin and Kayla sitting at a table. Nico wanders over and Kayla slaps at open spot. “You can join us, if you want.”

“Sure.” Nico hangs his jacket over a chair and goes to find some food. He ends up staying long after he’s finished his eggs and toast, surprised by how easily conversation flows between them even without Will there.

“All right, guys,” Kayla says standing up while Nico’s contemplating whether it would be okay to just go straight for lunch. “I’ve got an archery meeting to get to.”

“Have fun,” Nico says and she walks away. A minute later, Austin and Nico stand up and start to put their coats on at the same time.

They’re walking back to the dorms when Nico’s phone chirps. “It’s Will,” he says, though he’s not quite sure why.

_I’m home alone and it’s really boring but I can’t go to the hospital for another hour._ Nico snorts. He and Austin part ways at the stairs.

_I’m serious. Entertain me._

_How am I supposed to do that from over here?_ Nico texts back once he’s shut away in his room again.

_Think of something._

Nico sighs and texts him a question that’s been bothering him since the night before. _I’m sorry if this sounds bad but how do you have two brothers if your dad left when you were two?_

It’s a few minutes before Will texts back. Nico settles down in front of his desk with his geography textbook in front of him. _He left before my mom found out she was pregnant with Colton. Flynn is my half-brother._

_What about his dad?_

_He and my mom got divorced when Flynn was eight. Died a year ago. He was really into free diving and one time he just didn’t come back up._

_That’s horrible._ Nico can’t even imagine what that would be like.

_It was._ They text back and forth until Will finally is able to leave to visit his brother in the hospital. Nico turns his attention back to his homework, but can’t seem to stop his brain from being tuned in for the sound of his phone.

It’s late and Nico is thinking that he should probably get some sleep so he’s not dead in class the next day when there’s a knock on the door.

Nico opens it to find Will standing on the other side with a hesitant smile.


	17. Chapter 17

“Will.” Nico shifts his weight, frantically trying to remember if there’s anything embarrassing strewn across his floor at this very moment.

“Can I come in?” Will asks, raising an eyebrow.

Nico moves aside, closing the door behind them. “You never come to my room.”

“I know.” Will twines his fingers together. “It’s kind of an RA thing. I never know when someone’s going to stop by or I’m going to get a call.”

“What about now?”

Will’s smile is more of a smirk. “Officially, I’m not in the building and therefore off-duty.” His gaze catches Nico’s as he steps closer. “Can I stay?”

Nico locks the door in answer. Even though Will is the taller of the two, Nico backs him up against the wall and kisses him hard. Will’s fingers tangle in his hair and hold him in place.

It hasn’t even been a full two days since Nico saw Will last, but it still feels like weeks. He smells like sugar and hospital rather than his usual and Nico doesn’t like it.

“Hi,” Will whispers when Nico pulls away to breathe.

“Hi.” Nico shoves his face into the crease of Will’s neck and closes his eyes. Will’s arms slip around him, holding him close. They stand like that for a few minutes, just soaking in each other’s warmth.

“How are you?” Will murmurs into Nico’s hair.

Nico’s emotions are spiraling in his chest and he doesn’t know how to answer that. He’s in so deep for this boy and he doesn’t know if it’s like being trapped in a black hole or walking out into the sun.

Nico leans back and kisses Will again, trying to put just a fraction of his thoughts into the kiss. Will answers back with enthusiasm and then pulls away so hard his head whacks back against the wall.

“Will,” Nico whines before he can stop himself and then claps his mouth shut when Will takes his hand and pulls him toward the bed.

They’re almost there when Will gets distracted, looking around at everything. He goes to the curtains first, pulling them shut, and then the torches, poking at the fake flames.

“They’re not real,” Nico says, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him in. “You can check out my room later.”

“But right now let’s check out the bed?” Will grins with an eyebrow raised. “That sounds a bit sketchy. Maybe I’d better go.”

“Solace.” Nico tries to sound demanding but it just comes out a whole lot more pleading than he intended.

Will pokes him in the side—Nico flinches hard out of habit—and hops up onto the bed. He toes off his shoes, letting them fall to the floor, and then splays himself out.

Nico’s breath freezes in his throat. No matter how many times he’s tried to picture Will just like this it’s never done the real thing justice.

Will’s hair falls bright against the black comforter. He’s grinning up at Nico, blue eyes bright like this is the best thing that could have happened to him.

Nico feels like he’s been kicked in the chest. What has he gotten himself into? How did he fall in love without even noticing?

When Nico doesn’t make a move to join him, Will’s smile falls and he holds out a tentative hand. Nico hurries to climb up on the bed and settle down on his side next to him. He doesn’t want Will to move, never wants him to leave this exact spot again.

Nico leans down into a kiss and Will meets him halfway. Their lips move together slow and careful, like they have all the time in the world. Nico balances himself with a hand on Will’s chest as he moves to get a better angle.

It’s only when his lungs are really starting to complain that Nico pulls away. Will nudges him over until he’s on his back and places open-mouth kisses down his neck. Nico tilts his head back to give him better access and closes his eyes. One hand tangles in Will’s hair, the other sliding down to his lower back. Will’s skin is scorching through the thin fabric of his T-shirt.

A gasp sneaks between Nico’s lips when Will latches on to the skin and sucks hard. It might be low enough to cover with his collar, Nico isn’t sure. Doesn’t really care right now.

Nico shoves his hand beneath Will’s shirt, needing to touch the expanse of skin. He can feel Will’s muscles flexing as he slides his leg up into a more comfortable position.

Finished marking Nico for now, Will nips at the tender skin and surges up into another kiss. It’s much messier and less coordinated than their previous, but Nico is too far gone to care.

Will slides against him as he tries to straddle Nico’s waist. Nico bites back a whine, already half-hard, and hopes that Will didn’t notice. He doesn’t want this to end.

Nico pushes his hands deeper beneath Will’s shirt, needing to feel the full span of his back. Will shudders against his touch and sits up, pulling his shirt over his head in one smooth movement.

Nico’s lips part as he stares up at the muscles rippling above him. He’s not so bad himself but he still can’t help but feel like he pales in comparison. Will must notice because he returns a reassuring smile and leans down to kiss Nico again.

It only takes a few seconds for Nico to realize there’s too much clothing between them. He wants to feel every inch of Will that he can.

Nico nudges at Will’s chest and his boyfriend takes the hint, sitting up and helping Nico to tug his own shirt over his head.

Will lets out a sharp sigh as he leans down and presses his chest against Nico’s. The heat of skin against skin is instantaneous. It’s only when Will adjusts himself against Nico and the friction hurts that he realizes he’s fully hard between them.

Nico tries to adjust himself without moving too much, but he only succeeds in bucking up against Will’s jeans. The sweatpants he usually sleeps in do nothing to hide it.

Will breaking the kiss and moving down his neck to his chest isn’t helping. He sucks hard at Nico’s collarbone and he has to bite down on his bottom lip to keep from groaning.

Nico bucks up again as Will’s mouth closes around his nipple. He might have imagined this in all those nights alone in high school and the last few weeks, but it’s nothing compared to the real thing.

Will holds himself up on his arms, sliding his thigh between Nico’s legs. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah.” Nico’s surprised by how wrecked he sounds even though they haven’t really done anything. “It’s great.” He doesn’t really understand until Will scrapes his teeth over the middle of his chest. Nico jerks, grinding against Will’s thigh, and a hiss catches in his throat.

The friction is on just the right side of painful and he does it again. He’d feel bad if it wasn’t for the way Will’s eyes darken as they look down at him. He braces himself against one elbow, freeing up his other hand to reach down and palm himself.

Nico watches for a second and then throws his head back. Will brings his hand back and looms over Nico, lining them up.

He grinds down, lighter at first and then harder, until Nico lets out a groan that sounds far too much like, “ _Will._ ”

“It’s okay,” Will whispers in his ear before leaning his forehead down on the pillow. He grinds down once more and Nico can’t take it anymore. He comes, the room blacking out around him. Nico is vaguely aware of Will falling to his side next to him.

They don’t speak for a few minutes, too busy catching their breath. “Come on,” Nico says, breaking the silence first. “I have some clothes you can wear.”

It takes them a while longer to actually clamber out of bed. Nico tosses Will a pair of sweatpants and takes a second pair for himself. He changes in the bathroom, catching glimpses of himself flushed in the mirror.

By the time Nico comes back out, Will’s already changed and crawled back into the bed. Nico climbs up after him, snuggling his back against Will’s chest.

Will kisses him on the back of the neck as Nico drifts off to sleep.

It’s still dark when Nico wakes to the feel of someone moving next to him. He panics for a moment before the night before comes flooding back.

Nico groans and rolls over, clinging to the moving body. “Stay,” he says.

“I can’t.” Will presses a kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead. “You and I both have class.”

Nico groans again at the reminder. Why couldn’t they have done this on the weekend, when they’d be able to stay in bed for most of the morning until hunger drove them outside. “Fine.”

Will untangles himself from Nico’s limbs and the blankets, flipping over him and landing lightly on his feet. He kisses Nico quickly and then wanders around looking for his shirt.

“It’s under the other bed,” Nico murmurs, closing his eyes again.

Will must put it on because then he’s kissing Nico again. The next thing Nico hears is the door closing.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I came home from college on Thursday and then immediately went away again for the weekend so it's been a bit of a whirlwind.

Nico can’t miss the red mark adorning the side of his neck. He tries to tug up his collar, but it only slides down again.

He makes a mental note to take revenge on Will later and digs a black turtleneck out of the depths of his drawers. Nico can’t remember who bought it for him or even how it managed to migrate into his suitcases over here. It’s a bit itchy but it does the job.

It’s especially worth it when he runs into Will coming out of the dining hall. Will’s eyes flicker down to his throat and Nico can feel his skin flushing.

“You need to do a better job at hiding them,” Nico says, pausing on the sidewalk next to him.

Will smirks and winks. “Who says I was trying to hide it?”

Nico’s breath catches in his throat and he forgets how to speak for a moment. Instead he shakes his head and goes to grab breakfast.

The rest of the week passes quietly. Nico and Will spend a lot of time hanging out—mostly in Will’s room, although there is one memorable night with Kayla in the common room involving a game of _Life—_ and Nico goes to classes and does his homework.

They don’t talk about that night in Nico’s room and while there is plenty of making out they don’t do anything like that again. Nico spends more time thinking about it than he’d like to admit.

“We should go to Jack’s,” Will says. It’s a lazy Friday afternoon, cold and rainy, and they’re curled up in his room.

Nico pauses _Frankenstein_ and pulls out one of his earbuds. “What?”

“Jack’s.” Will sits up and stretches his arms above his head. “You haven’t been there yet and it’s my duty to remedy that.”

Nico snuggles deeper into the beanbag chair. “But it’s so nice here.”

“They have onion rings.”

Nico pretends to think it all over very seriously. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Jack’s seems like more of a sports bar than anything. There are big screen TVs scattered about the room, San Jose Sharks memorabilia, and wood-paneled booths. An archway in the back leads to what Nico assumes are the study rooms Will mentioned when he first told him about the place.

Will leads them to a booth in the corner and Nico settles down on the opposite side. It’s busy, though that’s not really a surprise for a Friday night. It takes a little time to order but Will assures him that it’ll be worth it.

“What do you think?” Will asks once their waitress has disappeared with their menus.

“I think it must be good if it’s this busy.” Nico looks around, recognizing Hazel sitting across from a very tall boy. She catches his eye and waves. Nico waves back. “It seems like it would be too loud to study in the back.”

Will shakes his head. “I’ve used the rooms a couple of times. It’s actually pretty quiet.”

“Sounds perfect.” Their onion rings arrive and Nico grabs one larger than his hand, taking a bite. It scalds his tongue and he rushes to gulp down water.

“Careful.” Will grins, holding back laughter. “They’re hot.”

Nico flips him off and they trade barbs into the food arrives. The waitress raises an eyebrow at Will doubled over in laughter with his forehead resting on the table, but Nico just shakes his head and tries not to roll his eyes.

“I really can’t take you anywhere, can I?” Nico asks once they’re breathing normally again.

Will snorts and takes a bite of his burger. “You started it.”

“No, I’m pretty sure that was you.” Nico smirks back at him. Will’s eyes spark like there’s a comeback on the tip of his tongue but his mouth is too full to say it. By the time he swallows the spark is gone and Nico lets it go. They eat in comfortable silence.

“What are you thinking about?” Nico asks, realizing that Will has been staring intently at the table for the past few minutes.

Will looks up at him with a tentative smile. “There’s something that I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Okay.” Nico’s heart leaps into his throat and he sets down his burger. “What is it?”

“Another hall is holding a dance next weekend.” Will pauses to let him take that in. “It’s formal, you know suit and tie sort of thing.”

Nico stares blankly back at him. “What does that have to do with me?”

Will snorts. “They’ve invited all the RAs.”

“Oh.” Nico traces his finger around the rim of his glass. “I hope you have fun.”

Will kicks him lightly underneath the table. “I want you to come with me, stupid.”

Nico’s heart leaps into an even faster gait. He’s been to formal dances before, once or twice, but he mostly spent them leaning against the wall and not thinking about Percy dancing with Annabeth.

“If you don’t want to…” Will says and Nico realizes that several minutes have passed.

“I’ve just…I’ve never actually danced at a dance,” Nico admits.

Will laughs. “That’s okay.”

Nico thinks about Will in a suit, slow-dancing with him and there’s nothing he can say after that but, “Yes. I’ll go with you.”

“Good.” Will’s face splits into a grin.

After Jack’s, they head back to the dorms and curl up in Will’s room. Nico can’t shake the itch underneath his skin that any minute someone is going to knock on the door and take Will to his job.

Nico knows that Will loves being an RA, but the sheer randomness of it makes it impossible for him to relax.

Nothing happens, though, and before Nico knows it Will is nudging him awake. It’s just after dawn, a soft glow lighting up the room.

“Breakfast?” Will asks, one eyebrow raised.

Nico suppresses a yawn and nods. “Always.”

It’s a few minutes before they make it out of bed. Nico goes down to his own room to shower and change. He’s halfway through washing his hair when he remembers the dance.

And the fact that it’s formal.

And the fact that he doesn’t really have anything to wear. Sure, he’s got button-ups and dress pants for interviews and stuff, but he doesn’t have anything truly _formal._ There isn’t a single tie in his drawers, not unless Bianca snuck something in there.

Nico digs around once he’s out of the shower. Nothing. He’ll just have to go buy something during the week. He has six days until the dance. How hard could it be?


	19. Chapter 19

It turns out finding time to shop is more difficult than Nico expected. He spends most of Monday in class or working on homework and then the evening in Will’s room.

Nico is supposed to be listening to the end of _Wuthering Heights_ and Will has a lab write-up to do, but neither of them do any of it.

Tuesday and Wednesday are much the same. By Thursday, Nico is really starting to panic. If Bianca was there, she’d make sure he found an hour or two for a shopping trip and walk him through the whole thing.

Nico’s on his own for this one. He’s heading out of the dorms—his last class of the day is over and Will is still busy for a few more hours—when he spots Hazel walking in.

“Hey, Nico.” She smiles warmly at him. “What’s up?”

“Shopping trip.” Nico jiggles the pocket with his wallet.

“Have fun.”

She starts to walk off again but Nico calls over his shoulder. “I know this is kind of a random question but do…you think you could come with me? I usually just buy clothes based on whether it looks cool and I need something better.”

“Yeah, sure.” Hazel checks her pockets and then points toward the parking lot. “We can take my car. There are some stores you could walk to but the mall is a bit far.”

“All right.” Nico follows her to a bright red Accord and climbs into the passenger seat. The car hums as she fires it up and backs out of her spot.

“What are we looking for today, anyway?” Hazel asks as she easily navigates the maze of streets.

“Dress clothes.” Nico stares out the window, watching the buildings pass. He spots half a dozen stores that look promising but Hazel passes them all by. “I’m going to that dance.”

“The one in Fitstein?”

“Yeah,” Nico says, though he doesn’t remember Will ever mentioning _which_ hall was hosting the dance.

“That should be fun.” Hazel smiles at him. “I was invited too but I already have plans.”

“That’s too bad.” Nico’s ears feel like they’re on fire and he’s sure they must be bright red. He hadn’t given much thought to everyone else who may have been invited. He likes Will, a lot, and he wants to be able to go out with him in public. It’s just at the same time the very idea makes his stomach churn.

“So who are you going with?” Hazel asks with a slight smirk like she already knows.

Nico thinks about denying it, asking her why he has to be going with anyone to be going at a dance that isn’t even in his hall, but then all of the defensiveness melts out of him. “I’m going with Will. The RA on—”

“Apollo House. I know.” Hazel grins at him for a moment before putting her eyes back on the road. “I’m an RA too, remember?”

“Right.” Nico taps his fingers against his leg. Maybe this was a mistake. It’s too late now, though, because Hazel’s turning into a mall parking lot.

Nico tries to take a second to look around once they’ve stepped inside but Hazel’s already cutting her way through the crowd. Nico hurries to keep up with her, struggling to dodge people while still taking in the names of the stores.

“Over here,” Hazel calls from outside of a store with suits in the windows. Nico’s never heard of it before but he follows her inside anyway. “So what do you have and what do you need?”

“I have pants and shirts.” Nico takes in everything with wide eyes. He doesn’t know where to start. “I need…whatever else I need for a dance.”

“A tie, at least.” Hazel wanders over to a table covered in them. “How do you feel about bow ties?”

“No.”

Hazel shrugs, riffling through them. Every so often she holds one up, glances critically between Nico and the fabric, and then puts it back down again.

The entire process is a lot more time-consuming than Nico expected. Finding the perfect tie—silver with blue accents—takes two different stores.

Then Hazel spends half an hour convincing him to go the whole nine-yards with a waistcoat and coat.

Nico gives in but only when Hazel confesses that Will once said he’s a sucker for a guy in a waistcoat. Nico walks out of the mall just after sundown with more bags than he’d expected going in.

“Don’t worry,” Hazel says when she pulls back into the parking lot at the dorms. “Will’s going to love it.”

“I hope so.” Nico gathers up the bags and slides out of his seat. “Thanks for going with me.”

“Anytime.” Hazel grins at him and for a moment it reminds him of Bianca. “I had fun. I hope you enjoy the dance.”

“I will.”

Nico finds that he’s missed a couple messages from Will while he was gone. He sends back an apology and promises to be up in a minute. First he has to hang everything. Nico doesn’t care much about fancy clothes but he does know they’re not supposed to be kept in bags on the floor.

“So what’d you go shopping for?” Will asks when Nico settles down in his room. He keeps himself to the beanbag chair, reminded that Will has an exam the next day that he’s supposed to be studying for.

“Stuff for tomorrow.” Nico kicks off his shoes, feet aching from all the walking.

“What are you planning on wearing?”

Nico grins and winks at him. “It’s a surprise.”

“Come on.” Will puts his book aside and sits forward on the bed. “I just want to make sure we’re not going to clash.”

“Still a surprise.” Nico puts in his earbuds but Will isn’t done.

“Just tell me one thing.”

Nico tugs one back out. “I’ll give you a hint…if you finish studying for your exam.”

“You’re not fair.” Will scowls but tugs the book back into his lap.

Not forty-five minutes later, Nico’s leaning back in the seat with his eyes closed when he feels something warm and heavy settle into his lap. He peeks out to see Will perching himself precariously on the chair.

“I’m done studying,” he announces when Nico pulls his earbuds out again.

“I’m sure.” Nico pushes his laptop more securely aside anyway and rests his hands on Will’s hips. “All right, one hint.”

Will pouts and he looks so ridiculous that Nico has to lean forward and kiss it away.

“Your hint is…waistcoat.”

Will’s eyes harden into a darker blue. “That’s all I get?”

“That’s all. Until tomorrow.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back. Sorry about last week, guys, it was my girlfriend's birthday and then Christmas and things were just too crazy around here. 
> 
> I've made a change to the tags. Warning: brief homophobia and homophobic slur used in this chapter.

Nico spends most of Friday killing time while Will’s in class. They’d planned not to see each other until it was time for the dance. That’s not until six and Nico feels like he might just jump out of his skin.

Nico waits until after five before he can justify getting ready. The smooth fabric feels foreign against his skin. Black button-up and black dress pants. Black shoes that he’d shined that morning just to have something to do with his hands.

Then there’s the gray waistcoat that Hazel had insisted would look perfect on him. It takes him a few tries to get the tie around his neck. It’s still not perfect but it’s the best he can get without potentially strangling himself.

Finally he slides a dark leather belt with bright silver buckle around his waist and there’s nothing left to do but put on the jacket.

Nico swings it on right as Will knocks on the door. For a second Nico entertains the idea of just not answering, pretending that he’s not here, but then he steps across the door and pulls it open.

Whatever happens at the dance, it’s worth it.

Will’s suit is a rich dark blue, slim and perfectly tailored. His waistcoat is charcoal gray and the tie a light blue. Somehow it perfectly matches the accents in Nico’s. He can’t help but wonder if Hazel knew exactly what Will would be wearing.

“Wow,” Will murmurs, staring wide-eyed. It knocks Nico out of his equally awestruck stare and he turns his eyes to the ground, feeling oddly self-conscious.

“You look great,” Nico tells the floor.

Will grabs him by the collar and pulls him into a kiss. They’re both breathless when they pull apart a few minutes later. “So do you. Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Will pulls away and straightens Nico’s collar, looking oddly guilty for rumpling it up.

Nico reaches for Will’s hand on the way out of the building, twining their fingers together. Fitstein isn’t much of a walk. The building is shorter than theirs, only three floors and seems to consist of a confused maze of hallways.

Will leads him through them with the ease of long practice and it isn’t long before they’re down the stairs and in the basement.

The lights are down low, providing a steady white glow. Black and white streamers hang from the ceilings and walls. There’s a table in the corner laden with pizza and snacks. A pair of speakers crouch in the corner, manned by a guy with an iPod.

Nico pauses by the pizza table while Will greets the people he knows. Nico follows him with his eyes, waving his boyfriend on when he glances back, unable to stop the slight smile that rises on his face. Will makes the rounds so easily, finding something to talk about with half the room. By the time he comes back around and slides his arms around Nico, the room is getting rather crowded and Nico is on his third slice.

“Ready to dance?” Will murmurs in Nico’s ear.

Nico tosses the last couple bites of his pizza and follows Will to the dance floor. A fast song is playing but Will pulls Nico into his arms anyway and they sway back and forth.

“You’re better at dancing than you think,” Will says, spinning the two of them around.

Nico throws his head back and laughs. “You’re just really good at leading.”

“Can’t deny that.” Will spins until they’re both breathless. Nico falls in, resting his head against Will’s chest.

They dance until Nico loses all track of time. Each song blends into the next, fast or slow doesn’t matter. Will’s solid warmth around him keeps him from floating off into space.

Nico staggers as someone crashes into his back, pushing past them. He looks up just in time to see the guy call over his shoulder, “Watch it, faggots.”

Will pulls away from Nico hard, stepping towards him, but then there’s a massive blond standing between them. Jason.

He fixes the asshole in his sights and points toward the door. “Get out.”

The guy turns tail and runs. Will breathes heavily for a moment and then takes Nico back into his arms, grip harder than before.

“Sorry about that, guys,” Jason says, turning back around.

“Not your fault,” Nico tells him, his voice low and tired.

Jason nods. “Sorry just the same.” He disappears into the crowd again.

Nico and Will make it through two more dances before Nico leans his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder and murmurs, “Want to get out of here?”

Will pulls away without letting go. “Sure.”

Outside in the cool darkness of night, Nico finds that he doesn’t want to go back to the dorms yet. Thoughts are burning through his mind, searching for his tongue. He leads Will away from the sidewalk home and off to the emptiness of the class buildings. Will follows along without questions.

“I’ve never been…yelled at like that before,” Nico says, pausing in the courtyard. There’s a fountain in the middle, the water splashing quietly. “Not because everyone at my old school was so accepting. I was just really good at hiding it. I didn’t tell anyone, not even Bianca. Not until later.”

“What about now?” Will asks, crossing the last couple steps to the fountain and sitting on the cement border.

“I don’t want to hide it anymore.” Nico sits down, pressing his shoulder against Will’s. “There was this guy, Percy. I was in love with him for the longest time in high school.”

“What was he like?” A cold breeze cuts across the courtyard and Will moves closer.

“He was a couple years ahead of me. Captain of the swim team. Everyone thought that he’d go on to the Olympics. Student body vice president. He was funny and nice to everyone, even me.” Nico smiles into his lap at the memory.

Will drapes his arm around Nico’s shoulders. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Nico lets out a heavy sigh. “I never told him how I felt, not that it really mattered because I’m pretty sure he’s straight. He dated the same girl, Annabeth, for our last two years of high school. Last I heard they’d just gotten married.”

“You never got closure.”

“No.” Nico reaches over and rests his hand on top of Will’s. “But now I don’t care anymore. Time to move on.”

“Good.” Will’s smile glides into a grin. “Come on. There’s something I want to show you.”

Nico follows along as Will leads him back to their own dorms and up the stairs. Nico sits down on the end of the bed, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the collar of his shirt.

Will picks up the violin and rests it under his chin. The first notes are slow and quiet, almost mournful. With a smirk at Nico, the music becomes more upbeat but no quicker. The notes flash out, echoing in the confines of the room. Nico can feel them rattling in his chest, wrapping around his heart.

When the last note fades out, Nico doesn’t speak. He doesn’t want to break the spell that’s fallen over them. Finally Will takes a deep breath and sets the violin back on its stand.

“What was that?” Nico asks, voice little more than a whisper. “What song?”

“Nothing that you would have heard.” Will smiles and climbs up onto the bed.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because.” Will reaches over and twines their fingers together. “I wrote it. A few days ago. It’s about you.”

Nico doesn’t know what to say to that. Instead of saying anything at all, he leans forward and guides Will back onto the bed, straddling his waist for a kiss. Will trails his fingertips down Nico’s face and then wraps them around the back of his neck, holding him in place.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone :)

Nico wakes in the morning, the bare skin of his back pressed against the equally bare skin of Will’s chest. His boyfriend’s arms are wrapped around him, clinging like an octopus.

The clock in front of him says it’s just after seven. Nico closes his eyes and snuggles closer to Will. It’s Saturday. No harm in going back to sleep for a few more minutes.

They’re both jarred awake a few hours later by a sharp knocking on the door. Will groans and yawns. “Curse my decision to be an RA.”

“The whole part where you don’t have a roommate is pretty awesome,” Nico points out, sliding out of bed so Will can get out.

“Yeah, but can’t people have crises when it’s more convenient.” Will pulls a pair of sweatpants and a shirt on over his boxers. “I swear one of these days I will make you breakfast.”

“Walking with me to dining services does not count as making me breakfast.”

Will goes to answer the door and Nico starts picking up his clothes from where they’re scattered, making sure to keep out of sight.

“Sorry to wake you up.” Austin’s voice drifts in to Nico. “The roommates next door have been fighting for an hour. I think they could use a mediator.”

“Thanks, Austin.” Will sighs. “I’ll be right down. Just give me a minute.”

“Sure.” The door snaps shut again and Will wanders back into the room. He kisses Nico quickly and then hands him his belt from where it’s draped over the lamp.

“My first walk of shame,” Nico says, wrapping it back around his waist. “Bianca will be proud.”

Will laughs but his heart isn’t in it. “I’ll meet you for dinner tonight, okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” Nico catches him by the elbow and spins him into a quick kiss. “Duty calls.”

Will kisses him once more before heading out. Nico finishes gathering up the rest of his stuff and goes back to his own room. He’s well overdue for a shower and once he’s out, he calls Bianca.

She squeals in all the right places and Nico can almost hear her grin through the phone.

“I’m thinking about coming down for a couple of days,” Bianca says, after finishing a story about some book club that she’s just joined.

“When?”

“Next week. Maybe over the weekend, maybe before.”

Nico glances over at the empty bed and smiles. “Call me before you get here. I wouldn’t want to scar you for life.”

“That’s cute, little bro.” Bianca snorts into the phone. “I’ll call you soon, okay?”

“Sure. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

With no one else left to use for procrastination, Nico settles down at his desk with his Greek flashcards. The words roll off his tongue with an ease that he hadn’t expected.

Nico’s just thinking about texting Will about dinner when his phone chimes. _Want pizza instead?_

_Sure._

_You can come up. Home base is free of intruders._

Nico rolls his eyes and puts his textbooks aside. It only takes a few seconds before he’s out the door.

Will’s door is locked. Nico frowns, glancing at the sign stating that Will is definitely in, and knocks. There’s a soft shuffling followed by Will talking. No one answers.

There’s a hard click as the door unlocks and then Will’s peeking through the crack. He opens it quickly and pulls Nico in by the collar.

“What the hell are you…um.” Nico looks down at a shaggy brown and white puppy sniffing at his ankles.

“I can explain,” Will says, locking the door again. “I, uh, have a dog.”

“I can see that.” Nico kneels down and offers his head for it to sniff. The puppy licks at his hand and scrambles back into the room. “I know I’m not an RA but I’m pretty sure there’s a big rule that says _no pets._ ”

“I know.” Will sits down on the end of the bed, the puppy shaking a knot of rope on the floor. “The fight earlier turned out to be about him.”

“I don’t get it.” Nico sits down next to Will, kicking his feet as they hang over the edge.

“One of the roommates found him outside and brought it home. The other is allergic. School policy states that they have 24 hours to find another home for the dog but they couldn’t keep him in their room.” The puppy stands on his hind legs, trying to reach the two of them on the bed, rope still clutched in his mouth.

“So you volunteered yours.” Nico leans over to give the puppy a scratch on the head.

“It’s just for a couple of days.” Will gives him a pleading look oddly reminiscent of the puppy staring up at them from the floor. “I’m having posters put up around town, to see if he’s already got a home.”

“Hey.” Nico grins over at him. “Who am I going to tell?”

Will grins and tackles him to the bed. The puppy yaps from the floor and they have to hurry to shush him up.

Nico becomes oddly attuned to the presence of the dog over the next couple of days. He even smuggles the puppy down to his own room for a couple hours when Will has RA duties.

He doesn’t hear from Bianca so he assumes that it will be a bit longer before she’s able to get away.

Nico’s rolling a ball across the floor for the puppy to chase when he hears a knock on the door. A second later it opens.

“Hey, Pup,” Will’s voice says and Nico lets himself relax back against the bookshelf. Despite insisting that they shouldn’t name the dog since they weren’t keeping it, Nico had been the one to coin the nickname. “How was he today?”

“Perfect, as always.” Nico gets slowly to his feet, brushing dust off his jeans. Will steps into the room.

“I think I found his owner.” There’s a hint of sadness buried deep in the excitement. “I got a call an hour ago from a woman that her puppy escaped the yard less than a week ago. She described him perfectly.”

“Oh.” Nico kneels down, scratching Pup’s ears. “Isn’t that great, little guy?”

“I told her we’d meet at the little park across the street from campus at five.”

Nico glances over his shoulder at the clock. Four-thirty. “We’d better get going then.”

“Yeah.” Neither of them makes any move. Will kneels down next to Nico and scratches Pup’s back.

“We can have our own dog someday,” Will murmurs so quietly that Nico isn’t sure he realizes he’s speaking out loud.

Nico almost falls over at the _we._ Like they’re a proven quantity with a future together. “Yeah. We can.”

Will smiles as he looks up. Nico gets to his feet and gathers up Pup. “I’ll go check to make sure the coast is clear,” Will says and, humming the _Mission Impossible_ theme song, heads for the door.

Nico rolls his eyes and grabs the leather leash that Will had bought. Will comes back a moment later and waves for him to follow.

They make it outside without being caught and Nico puts Pup down, clipping on the leash. The dog ambles after them, nose stuck to the ground.

The park isn’t far from the dorms and they arrive a few minutes early. Nico sits down on the bench, Pup at his feet while Will paces, looking around for the real owner.

“Jessie!” A sharp squeal catches both Pup’s and the boys’ attention. A little girl drops to the ground and throws her arms around the dog, apparently named Jessie. She’s followed close behind by an older woman looking harried but relieved.

“Thank you, boys,” the woman says and Nico silently hands her the leash. “We’ve been out of our minds with worry about him.”

“Glad we could help,” Will says with a genuine smile.

“Where’d you find him?”

“We didn’t. I’m an RA in the dorms and one of my residents did. He didn’t say where.” Will smiles at the girl and rests his hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“We’ll keep a closer eye on him from now on. Thank you again.”

“Of course.” Will smiles and leans down to give Pup—Jessie—one last scratch behind the ears. Then another round of “thank you” and the three of them are gone.

“Come on,” Will says, the smile falling from his face. “Let’s go home.”


	22. Chapter 22

It’s too quiet in Will’s room without Pup, but it isn’t long before Nico is used to it again.

By Friday morning he still hasn’t heard from Bianca about her visit and he’s caught between worry that something has happened to her and worry that she’s just going to show up.

She doesn’t, but it’s close. Nico’s chilled out in his room with homework when his phone vibrates the desk. _I’ll be there in an hour. Hide the drugs and the underwear. If there’s a naked boy in your room, make sure he puts clothes on._

Nico snorts, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. He thinks about retorting but instead he just types, _I’ll see you soon._

Still trying to ignore the mental image that Bianca’s text had given him, he pulls up Will’s number. He’ll still be in class but he should probably be warned before Bianca arrives. _My sister is coming into town. She’ll be here in an hour._

After that, there’s nothing left to do but clean. Nico puts his spare sheets and whatever extra blankets he has on the empty bed. Drops the line of Diet Coke bottles into the recycling. Shoves the dirty clothes scattered over the floor into the laundry. He’s taking out the trash when his phone buzzes again.

It’s Will this time. _Guess that means my plan for a naked dash in the rain tonight is out?_

Nico rolls his eyes, briefly wondering why he ever got involved with the ridiculous RA. _I’ll introduce you tonight, if you want. After dinner._

_Sure. You know where I live._

Nico tosses the trash into the dumpster and turns around in time to see Bianca pulling into the lot. He watches her drive in circles until she finds a spot and waits at the door.

“Hey, bro,” Bianca says, grinning as she gathers him into a hug. “How are you doing?”

“Great.” Nico can’t help but smile. “How are you?”

Bianca blows out a sigh. “Long drive.”

Nico slides out of her arms and leads her down the hall to his room. She drops face-first into the available bed. “How’s your boyfriend?”

“He’s good.” Nico sits down in his chair, kicking his heels against the floor. “We can meet up with him later, if you want.”

Bianca turns her head so that she can stare at him. Her gaze is so intense it’s almost scary. “Of course I want to meet the boy that stole my brother’s heart.”

“Ha ha.” Nico glances away.

“Do you love him?” Bianca’s voice is quiet, almost hesitant.

Nico pauses, silence weighing on the room. His heart races. “Yes.” Bianca doesn’t ask if Will knows. Nico’s sure the answer is written all over his face. Desperate to change the subject, Nico takes a deep breath and tells her about the last few days, about Pup and Jessie.

“Walks of shame. Smuggling dogs into your room. It’s like you’re a real college student.” Bianca gives him a thumbs up and Nico sticks his tongue out at her. Adults indeed.

“Where do you want to go for dinner?” Nico asks, pushing his chair back and bracing his feet on his desk.

“Nap first.” Bianca turns her face into the pillow. “Then dinner.”

Nico chuckles and turns off the light. He should probably take advantage of a quiet hour by finishing up the last of his homework, but ends up crawling into bed instead.

He wakes to his grinning sister hitting him with a pillow.

“What are you doing?” Nico groans, stretching and holding his hands up in defense.

“Hey, this is pretty tame considering what I _could_ have done to wake you.” Bianca tosses her pillow back onto her bed. “Dinner time.”

Nico yawns and sits up. “Where do you want to go?”

“Hey, you’re the local. You’re supposed to take me somewhere good.” Bianca heads for the bathroom. “You think about it.”

Nico doesn’t have to. He takes her to Jack’s and orders the largest basket of onion rings they have. They talk about easy things—classes, friends, the book club that Bianca is thinking about starting.

It’s only when they’re leaving that he remembers his earlier promise. “So when do I get to meet Will?” Bianca asks as they step back into the dorms.

“Um.” Nico pauses, reaching for his phone. “Right now.”

Will’s wearing a huge smile when he answers the door. Nico doesn’t feel any more reassured. “Will, this is my sister, Bianca. Bianca, Will.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Bianca says in a voice that promises embarrassment in Nico’s near future.

Will grins and waves for them to come inside. Nico follows slowly, wondering what he’s getting himself into.

Bianca sits down on the beanbag chair, looking pointedly at the bed until Nico climbs up to sit down. Will joins him a moment later.

Will twines their fingers together, rubbing a soothing thumb over the back of Nico’s hand. Will asks Bianca what school she goes to and, before Nico knows what’s happening, they’re off.

About half an hour in Bianca starts in on the embarrassing childhood stories and Will throws in the tale of puddle jumping and their beach trip. Nico resists the urge to shove his face into Will’s shoulder.

“So we’re looking for Nico everywhere,” Bianca says, perched on the edge of her seat, “scared to death thinking that something’s happened to him. Dad went to check to make sure he hadn’t come across the bodies. Mom’s checking outside. I was just wandering around calling his name.”

“Where were you again?” Will asks, his forehead scrunched a little like he’s still stuck on _bodies._

“Funeral home.” Bianca snorts and Nico slides lower down, his back pressed against Will’s chest.

“I’m yelling and crying and then I spot him. Sitting up out of a coffin with his eyes still half-closed. Turns out he’d crawled into one of the caskets and fallen _asleep._ ”

Nico shakes with the force of Will’s laughter. “In my defense,” he says, “I was a kid. I thought it was a cradle for adults.”

If anything, that only makes Will laugh harder.

Nico tries to convince Bianca that they should go to bed at midnight, but then Will says, “Stay. I’m on duty all night and I need someone to keep me awake.”

Bianca opens her mouth and Nico hurries to say, “All right.”

They end up watching sitcom reruns on TV, Nico curled into Will’s side. He can see Bianca’s eyes flicking towards the two of them every few minutes but she doesn’t say anything.

It’s nearly four by the time Nico pulls himself out of Will’s arms and pokes Bianca awake. She groans at him but gets up anyway.

“It was nice to meet you,” Bianca says, blinking hard.

“Same to you. How long are you going to be staying?”

“All weekend.” Bianca yawns hard again and narrowly avoids walking into the corner of the door.

“Cool. Don’t forget to register her as a visitor,” Will tells Nico.

“Yes, RA Will.” Nico grabs him by the collar and tugs him down into a kiss, quick and chaste. Bianca wolf-whistles quietly behind them. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Will waves at Bianca and shuts the door as they turn around to leave.

“I like him,” Bianca says, an odd glint in her eye as they make their way downstairs.

“Yeah.” Nico smiles. “I do too.”


	23. Chapter 23

In the morning, Nico takes Bianca to breakfast at dining services. She insists that her school makes better hash browns but does admit that Nico’s eggs are better.

Nico wants to say that it’s nothing like home, but he doesn’t want to ruin the mood. The truth is home hasn’t been the same since their mom died.

After that they head down to the beach. Nico texts Will to ask if he wants to join, but he passes. Thick clouds laden with rain threaten on the horizon. The waves are high and capped with white, crashing against the beach.

Bianca wades in up to her knees but Nico stays where the water can lap at his ankles. He tries not to think too much about the last time he was at the beach.

“Why don’t you come out here every day?” Bianca shouts back to him, the wind whipping at her hair.

“Don’t have time,” Nico shouts back. Maybe he should ask Will to come here more often. He’d like to see the cove again, maybe try that kiss again and do it right this time.

They go to _Olympus_ for lunch. Kayla spots them coming in from across the room and hurries over.

“Hey, Nico.” She grins at him.

“Hey, Kayla. This is my sister, Bianca.”

Kayla glances over her with a slight smile. “It’s nice to meet you. Where’d you guys like to sit?”

“Anywhere’s fine.”

“Cool.” Kayla leads them over to a little table in the corner. There’s a picture of a black-cloaked man standing in a little boat on a dark river. Nico hurriedly glances away, though he’s not sure why. “What can I get you to drink?” Kayla asks.

“Ice tea,” Bianca says.

Nico smiles. “Coke.” Kayla nods and disappears again. “She’s one of Will’s residents,” Nico explains.

“Ah.” Bianca is a little slow to bring her eyes back to the table. “So what’s with the Greek thing?”

Nico laughs and repeats Will’s explanation. After their food arrives, Bianca falls silent, her face blank in a thoughtful sort of way.

“What are you thinking about?” Nico asks.

Bianca sets down her fork slowly and takes a sip of her drink. “You should call Dad.”

Nico frowns. He’s pretty sure that Bianca still only talks to their dad a few times a year when she’s at school. “Why?”

“He’d want to hear from you.” Nico doesn’t say anything. “And he’d want to know about Will.”

Nico’s stomach turns at the idea. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Bianca’s smile is full of reassurance but it doesn’t help the violent storm in Nico’s head. “Don’t you want Will to be able to visit?”

Nico pictures Will in their house, meeting their dad, in Nico’s bed…he cuts off that line of thought immediately. “I suppose.”

“You haven’t even thought about it, have you?” Bianca’s voice is low with surprise.

“Not really.” Nico takes a bite of his burger just to have a few moments to think. “We haven’t been seeing each other for that long.”

“But you love him.” There’s no question in Bianca’s tone.

“Yes.”

Bianca leans over the table slightly. “Then you should tell Dad. He’ll be fine with it, I promise.”

Nico twirls his fork between his fingers. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” Bianca leans back again, satisfied, and lets Nico change the subject to her plans for Halloween in a couple weeks.

After lunch, they drive around town—Bianca’s appalled that Nico knows so little about things—until Nico almost falls asleep in the passenger seat.

Then it’s back to the dorms for a nap followed by a pizza delivery. Nico borrows Monopoly from Hazel and he and Bianca camp out on the floor.

“You should text Will,” Bianca says, buying up Park Place.

“I already did.” Nico rolls the dice. “He has a meeting tonight but then he’s off-duty so he’ll be down after.”

“Cool. You going to buy that?”

“Nah.” Nico pushes the dice across the board to her.

Nico’s one bad roll away from declaring bankruptcy when there’s a knock on the door. “Come in,” he shouts and Will comes in, dropping himself on the floor next to Nico.

“Rough day?” Nico asks.

Will wrinkles his nose and leans his head back against the bed. “Just an unnecessarily frustrating meeting. How’s the game going?”

“Bianca’s cleaning me out.” Nico sighs as he lands on Boardwalk, complete with hotel, and pushes everything he has over to her.

“We can play again, if you want to join,” Bianca says, sorting out the bundle of fake cash into its respective piles.

“You should know, she’s ruthless,” Nico says, starting to hand out money from the bank again. “And there’s leftover pizza, if you want any.”

“Always.” Will jumps to his feet and opens the box on Nico’s desk. He returns with a piece in each hand.

The game goes on until well after midnight.

It turns out Will is quite the strategist while Nico struggles to stay alive with a less-than-respectable corner of the board. When Will offers an alliance, Nico accepts immediately, though he’s not quite sure that’s how the game is supposed to be played. He’ll do anything to avoid being streamrolled by his sister.

At one in the morning Bianca lands on one of the few hotel spaces and Nico bites his bottom lip to keep from cheering. Will high-fives him as he pretends to build a pile of money to roll in.

“Well played,” Bianca says, yawning. “I can’t say I remember the last time I’ve been beaten.”

“It was Mom,” Nico says softly. “I think that’s where you got your vicious game-playing skills.”

“That’s right.” Bianca staggers to her feet and heads for the bathroom. Will helps Nico put the game away in silence.

“I should probably go,” Will says, once it’s all done. Bianca still hasn’t come out of the bathroom and Nico’s sure that if he opened the door right now it would slam into her eavesdropping face.

“It’s late.” Nico walks with him to the door and stands on his toes for a kiss. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Once Nico locks the door behind him, Bianca comes out of the bathroom. He doesn’t comment on the coincidence.

“I hope I find someone like that,” Bianca murmurs into the dark after they’ve both climbed into bed. Nico smiles as he shoves his face into the pillow. He doesn’t answer.

In the morning, they both grab muffins from dining services and Nico carries Bianca’s bag to her car. She hugs him, they promise to call, and then Bianca climbs into the car.

Nico stands on the sidewalk and watches as she drives away.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With a new semester of classes starting tomorrow, I'm going to move posting to Sundays. And, as before, I will continue to post a chapter on Thursdays.

Nico’s phone stares him in the face while he works on his homework. There’s a Greek exam to study for, a paper on _Hamlet_ to write, and a map of Asia to label. He can’t concentrate on any of it, thinking about Bianca’s advice. He’s pictured coming out to his dad many times, especially since confiding in Bianca, but he’s never managed to get the words out.

Nico picks up the phone and hits his home phone number. His mouth runs dry as he paces over the floor, listening to it ring.

He hopes voicemail picks up.

“Hello?”

That’s not voicemail.

“Dad.” Nico swallows hard and focuses on keeping his voice steady. “Hey.”

“How are you?” His dad sounds surprised, which makes Nico feel guilty. He’s been gone two months and hasn’t called home once.

“I’m good.” Nico sits down on the end of the bed, talking about his dorm, his lack of roommate, his classes. Anything to avoid talking about Will or anything really important.

“Sounds like things are going well for you.” His dad pauses and Nico knows that this is where he should break into the real reason for calling. He doesn’t. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s great. More than great.” Nico takes a deep breath, leaning his forehead against his hand. “I’m dating someone.”

“That’s not supposed to sound like the end of the world.” His dad’s voice is oddly gentle. He doesn’t say anything more, just waits as the seconds pass in silence.

Nico summons all of his will. “I really love him.”

“Him?” There’s a hint of surprise but no sign of anger or upset.

“Yeah, Dad.” Nico goes all in, breath catching in his throat. “His name is Will.”

“Nico.” There’s a sigh. “If this boy makes you happy, then I’m glad for you. Are you bringing him home over break?”

Nico clamps his mouth shut as a laugh rises out. It sounds almost hysterical. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Let me know so I can clean out a guest room.”

“Okay. Sure.” Nico feels dizzy and he sits back against the bed, afraid that he might be about to fall over. “Thanks.”

“Love you, son.”

Nico smiles. “Love you too.”

“Just be careful and don’t forget to do your homework.”

Nico strangles another laugh, trapping it in his chest. “I won’t.”

“Talk to you again soon.”

“Of course. Goodbye, Dad.” Nico hangs up the phone and closes his eyes. He remembers all the scenarios that had run through his head over the past few years and realizes that none of them quite match up to the truth. The truth is better.

Nico feels freer than he has in ages. Leaving his books behind, he heads up to Will’s room. When Will opens the door, Nico realizes that he isn’t alone. There’s a freshman girl sitting on the beanbag, tears streaming down her cheeks. Will leans out through the cracked door, closing it as much as his body will allow to give her privacy. 

“What’s up?” he whispers.

Nico shakes his head, all enthusiasm rushing out of him. “It’s okay. I can wait until later.”

“We can meet up for dinner.”

“Yeah.” Nico forces a smile onto his face. “Sounds perfect.”

He goes back down to his room and forces himself through the rest of his homework. There’s another week of exams ahead so he doesn’t expect to have a lot of free time to do anything that isn’t studying for them.

“So what’d you want to talk to me about?” Will asks later, once the two of them are settled into a table at the dining hall over baked chicken and potatoes.

For a second Nico considers waving him off, saying it was nothing, and just waiting until later. But instead he takes a deep breath and says, “I told my dad. About me. About us.”

Will studies him quietly. “What’d he say?”

“That he’s happy for me. And to let him know if you’d like to come home with me for winter break.” Nico forces his eyes up off his plate.

Will grins at the idea. “I’d like that.”

“You don’t have to,” Nico hurries to add. “I mean, it’s so far away and your family is here…”

“Do you not want me to come?” Will’s eyes flash with a guarded look.

“No.” Nico wants to drop his head onto the table. “That’s not it. I just…want to make sure you do.”

“I do want to.” Will’s smile is reassuring. “But we can talk about that later. The semester’s barely halfway over.”

“Yeah.” Nico wrinkles his nose, thinking about the many weeks still ahead. “That’s true.”

“How did your family react when you came out?” Nico asks, summoning the courage once he and Will are stretched out in Will’s room.

Will shrugs. “I was lucky. My mom’s always been very accepting. Flynn was so young at the time. I told him that I liked boys the same way a lot of guys like girls and he asked me to pass him the orange crayon.”

Nico laughs, nudging his face into the crook of Will’s neck. “What about your other brother?”

“Colton took some time. He had trouble making friends in high school and I think he was afraid that people would bully him when they found out his older brother was gay.”

“What happened?”

“Not much.” Will lets out a soft sigh. “The school didn’t go into an uproar or anything, but then I wasn’t the first out gay kid and I went to school in a pretty accepting area. My friends took it all in stride. I got a couple nasty comments but that was all.”

“I’m glad.” Nico strokes a hand down Will’s side. “It’s great that your family is so accepting.”

Will rolls over and places a kiss on Nico’s lips. “I’m proud of you for coming out to yours. I’m glad it went well.”

“Me too.”


	25. Chapter 25

In the morning, Nico rolls himself out of Will’s bed and makes his way down to his own room. Class over the week hits him like a ton of bricks. He’d expected it to, what with all the work he has to get done, but the hypothetical is not the same as the reality.

He has a test or paper due in every class and it’s hard to find a few minutes to breathe. He only sees Will at meals and even then at least one of them has a book out to cram.

_Why don’t professors spread out their tests?_ Nico texts Will on Wednesday night. His bed feels cold and empty without him there.

_Because the rhythm of assignments and lectures tends to all be the same._ Nico rolls his eyes at the logical response followed a moment later by, _Or because they’re evil._

_I’m going with evil._

_Only one more day and then it’ll be Friday. We should go out. Do something._

_Let’s do it._ A moment later they say their good nights and Nico drops his phone on his dresser. It takes him far too long to go to sleep.

At long last, Friday rolls around. Nico spends most of his morning sleeping and then playing video games, waiting for Will to finish up with the last of his classes.

It’s after two by the time Nico’s phone buzzes with, _Lunch in five?_

_Be right there,_ Nico sends back, already saving his game.

Will greets him with a kiss that ends up lasting several minutes until he finally breaks away and announces that he’s starving. Nico retorts that he’s the one delaying them from heading down.

“What should we do tonight?” Will asks once they’re settled at a table.

Nico considers it for a moment and comes up with nothing. He isn’t really in the mood to go out to eat, not after the bustle of the week, and it’ll be too dark to go to the beach. “What fun things have I not experienced yet?”

Will rolls his eyes and laughs. “What about bowling?”

“Never been bowling.”

Will narrowly misses dropping his face into his plate of food as he bangs his forehead against the table. “There we go. I’ll teach you.”

“Just make me one promise,” Nico says with a wry smile.

“What’s that?” Will raises an eyebrow at him and pulls a bit of mashed potatoes out of his hair.

“No ball jokes.”

“Damn.” Will wrinkles his nose at him. “There goes my whole evening.”

They set out just after six. Will drives for about half an hour and despite his insistence that they are _not_ lost, Nico’s sure that they pass the same party store at least three times.

The parking lot of the bowling alley is about half full when they pull in. Will leads the way inside and Nico takes in the smell of French fries and cigarette smoke. The place is dimly lit and full of the sound of balls crashing into pins.

A group of people a few lanes away let out a loud cheer but Nico can’t figure out why.

Will leads the way over to the counter and asks for a single lane, three sets, and two pairs of shoes.

“Size?” the woman behind the counter asks. Will glances over his shoulder at Nico.

“Ten.”

“One pair ten, one pair eleven,” Will tells her and she walks to the other end of the counter. Will leans toward Nico again. “You know what they say about big feet.

Nico gives him a shove. “You promised.”

“I promised not to say anything about balls. I said nothing about—” He cuts off as the woman returns, setting two pairs of shoes on the counter. They’re both rather ugly, Nico’s blue and gray and Will’s a strange shade of red.

Will pushes the money over the counter and grabs the shoes. “Lane three,” the woman says and Will thanks her before they head away.

Lane three is on the other end of the building, between an empty lane and a group of college students, the bowling club according to their jackets.

Will settles down and starts to put on his shoes. Nico doesn’t like the feel of his, too flat and slick, but he puts them on and ties them up tight anyway.

“I’ll go first,” Will volunteers, hitting some buttons on the screen at their table. He grabs a ball from a shelf—colored red and orange like flames—and steps up onto the wooden floor.

Nico watches carefully as Will takes three steps and slides down into a crouch, letting the ball roll. It smashes into the pins, taking all but three with it. When the ball comes back, Will does it all again, taking the remaining three.

“Looks easy,” Nico says and Will smiles at him. Nico picks up a ball that’s pure black and almost drops it on his foot.

“You, uh, might want something just a little lighter,” Will suggests, trying not to laugh.

Nico grabs a navy blue ball from the shelf above and steps over to the wood. Will walks up behind him and grabs his arms.

“Put your first two fingers into the holes,” Will says. “You’re going to take two steps, lean down, and then let the ball roll. Got it?”

“I think so.” Nico steps away from him.

“Just don’t drop it on your foot. Or throw it backwards. Or hit yourself in the face.” Nico turns around at that last one, an eyebrow raised.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I’m not the one that did it.”

Nico rolls his eyes again and focuses back on the alley in front of him. One step. Two. Let the ball go. It rolls a couple feet and then tips over into the gutter. Nico glares at the pins like he can push them over with sheer force of will.

“Move over a little,” Will suggests and Nico shifts to the left once his ball returns. His ball makes it a few more feet this time before it rolls into the gutter.

They alternate, Nico getting a little better each time, until the set ends. Will resets it before Nico has a chance to look.

“You want anything to eat?” Will asks, digging in his coat for his wallet.

“Yeah.” Nico picks up his ball and steps forward. “Whatever you want.”

Nico picks up a spare and Will rewards him with a kiss. If anyone disapproves, Nico doesn’t notice or care. Someone coughs behind them and Nico turns to see a girl apologetically smiling, holding a basket of cheese fries and a plate with two cheeseburgers.

“Thank you,” Will says, taking it all in stride.

Nico manages to catch sight of the scores by grabbing Will be the waist when he goes to switch them over for the final game. Will: 156. Nico: 101.

The last one whips by in a rush. Nico gets his first strike, and Will kisses him again.

They’re laughing as they step out into the dark. Nico spins in the parking lot, the breeze tossing his hair. They don’t speak as they climb into the car, but they don’t need to. Will rests his hand on the console as they pull out of the parking lot and Nico reaches over, twining their fingers together.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed that there is now a final chapter number. I must admit that I have almost finished writing the final chapter and it will be posted on Sunday. I hope that you enjoy. :)

Nico wakes on Saturday morning with his arms wrapped around Will. His boyfriend is still asleep, eyes tightly closed and body relaxed. Nico can’t believe how much he’s missed this just over the past week. It hasn’t been that long since they’ve woken up together but it feels like forever.

Nico tucks his forehead between Will’s neck and closes his eyes again. It’s Saturday. They don’t need to wake up yet.

When Nico wakes again, Will’s stirring. He rubs at his eyes, smiling over his shoulder. “What time is it?” he asks, the words slow with sleep.

Nico shifts until he can sit up enough to see the clock. “Almost ten.”

“Awesome.” Will shoves his face back into the pillow. Nico gives him a few more minutes before he sticks his hands underneath Will’s shirt.

That seems to wake him up. Will flips over and meets Nico halfway in a kiss. It’s lazy and sloppy and perfect. Nico’s stomach growls loud enough for them to both hear it. Will pulls away, laughing.

“Breakfast time,” he murmurs, brushing his lips lightly over Nico’s jaw.

“I don’t want to go outside.” Nico shoves his face into Will’s chest. “Why can’t RA privileges include a kitchen?”

Will laughs and runs a hand down his back. “There’s a box of donuts over there next to the TV.”

Nico twists his head around and, sure enough, there’s the white box. He can see powdered sugar through the plastic. “But that’s all the way over there.”

“You’re closer.” Will almost shoves him out of the bed.

“Whoa, fine.” Nico grumbles as he pushes the covers aside and climbs out of the bed. By the time he returns with the donuts, Will is sitting up. Nico clambers back up and nestles himself under Will’s arm.

“You’re getting powdered sugar on my bed,” Will points out.

Nico glances over where Will’s lap is covered in white sugar. “So are you.”

Will wrinkles his nose and grabs Nico’s hand as he raises it to lick away the remains of sugar. Nico watches as Will’s tongue flicks out over his skin.

When he’s done and releases his hand, Nico puts the box next to them on the table and launches himself into a kiss.

It’s a few more hours before either of them get out of bed and even more before they leave Will’s room. The both of them more than make up for lost time from the past week. It’s dinner that sends them out in the end.

“Halloween is Friday,” Will says just as Nico takes a huge bite of mashed potatoes.

Nico scowls at him as he swallows hard. “Yes it is.”

“We should do something.”

Nico considers that for a moment. Halloween was always more Bianca’s thing. He just used it for the free candy. “Are you planning anything for your residents?”

Will shakes his head. “The hall usually throws a big party in the basement.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe we should go to the party or maybe we should do something?”

“Either one.” Nico waves the hand that isn’t holding his fork. “What do you usually do for Halloween?”

“Not much.” Will dips a French fry in his mashed potatoes and Nico thinks that’s a little extreme level of potato. “My mom makes homemade candy to give out to the kids every year. I used to take Colton and Flynn trick-or-treating. Once they lost interest in that, I’d hang out with friends and go to parties but—” He shrugs.

“Bianca dragged me along to a party or two but I didn’t really know anyone so it wasn’t much fun.”

Will chews thoughtfully, wearing a slight frown, and then says, “How about this? We’ll dress up, stop by the hall party, and then hang out. Just the two of us.”

Nico smiles. “Sounds good.”

It doesn’t take Nico long to remember that he doesn’t have anything resembling a costume. “I could wear my lab coat and go as a doctor,” Will suggests, the top half of his body submerged in his closet. “Hey, you could wear my scrubs. Be my nurse.”

Nico kicks his feet where he’s sitting on Will’s bed. “Fuck you.”

“A simple no would suffice,” Will replies calmly. He abandons the search of his closet with a sigh.

“I don’t think your scrubs would fit me anyway.” Nico waves a hand in an attempt to indicate Will’s height.

“How about this?” Will throws a sheet over Nico’s head. “Wooo you’re a ghost.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Nico laughs and tries to pull the sheet off, only succeeding in making himself more tangled.

“That wasn’t a no.” Will laughs and takes pity on him, pulling off the sheet. Static shock clicks in Nico’s hair.

“I’m not going as a ghost.” Nico crosses his arms over his chest.

“Okay.” Will pushes him back on the bed and climbs up to straddle him. “Tomorrow I have to go to a meeting to help plan the hall party but we’ll go to the Halloween store sometime this week.”

“Fine.” Nico pouts until Will kisses it away. Nico doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to get tired of the feel of Will’s lips on his. They move together perfectly, a synchronized dance now that they know each other so well.

Nico knows that if he bites down on Will’s bottom lip just right, he’ll get a whine. Will knows that he can get back by sucking lightly on Nico’s tongue.

Will hisses at the cold when Nico shoves his hands underneath his shirt. “Why are you an icicle?”

“Why are you a space heater?” Nico nips at Will’s neck.

Will pulls his own shirt over his head and then tugs at Nico’s until he sits up enough to give him space to take off his.

Nico leans back down into the kiss, pressing their bare skin together. Will shivers at the cold but Nico can feel heat racing down his spine.

Nico’s hands are hot by the time he slides one into Will’s shorts. His boyfriend squirms, looking for friction, and Nico grants it. He sits back, bracing himself on his elbow, to watch Will’s face dissolve. The boy always wears his heart on his sleeve, but it’s even more so when Nico has him alone and spread out.

“Ti amo,” Nico murmurs and he doesn’t think Will hears anything because he’s too busy coming with a moan.


	27. Chapter 27

It’s Tuesday by the time they both find time to go to the Halloween store. The place is enormous, filled to the ceiling with everything that Nico can think of.

There are plastic eyes, furry black spiders, skeletons, fake gravestones, snakes that almost look real, a mummy with its bandages tangling about its legs, and more than Nico can take in with one look. Will grabs him by the hand and tugs him to the back of the store, where there are racks upon racks of costumes.

“What about Superman?” Will asks, riffling through them while Nico peeks over his shoulder.

“No.”

“You’re right.” Will pushes it aside, his tongue sticking out between his teeth. “You’re more of a Batman, anyway.”

Nico lets that go and turns around to look at the costumes. Some of them are so ridiculous.

“How do you feel about Jedi knights?”

“Always wanted a real light saber.” Nico skips past a selection of doctor costumes without giving them a second glance.

“I used to have a crush on Han Solo. Oh, hey, I could be Princess Leia.”

“I don’t think you could pull off the hair,” Nico deadpans without turning around.

“Killing all my fun.” Will sighs. “How about a ninja? Or a vampire?”

“No to the vampire.” Nico rolls his eyes. “Maybe to the ninja.”

“Cool.” There’s a clang as Will pulls the costume off the rack and drapes it over his arm. In the end, Will drags Nico into the dressing room with an entire armful of costumes—some possibilities and some just ridiculous.

“I’m _not_ trying that on,” Nico says, pointing at a full-body penguin costume.

“That one’s for me.” Will’s tone is perfectly serious and Nico doesn’t know what to say to that. He strips down to his boxers and meekly takes the ninja costume that Will passes him.

It’s too big, the pants tangling around Nico’s feet and causing him to trip as he steps toward the mirror.

“Okay,” Will says, grabbing his arm to steady him, “a ninja you are not.”

Nico strips back out of the costume and turns around in time to see Will zipping up into the penguin. “Please take that off.”

“I don’t know.” Will examines himself in the mirror. “It seems rather fetching.”

“I am not going out with a penguin.” Nico reaches for the next costume in his stack.

“Actually—” Will grins, grabbing him by the waist and planting a kiss on Nico’s lips “—you are.”

Nico laughs and pulls away as much as the tiny dressing room will allow. Will unzips himself from the costume and shoves it back into the plastic.

They try on a few more rounds of costumes—Nico balks at a Robin costume but gives in when Will gives up the puppy-eyes—without success.

“Keep trying or go somewhere else?” Nico asks, shoving a zombie costume back into its bag.

“There’s only a couple left,” Will points out and Nico steels himself for a couple more clothing changes.

The last one is a skeleton costume, slick black material covered with the plastic replicas of bones. Nico pulls it on.

“It’s perfect,” Will says, moving a stack of costumes so he can sit down. “Come on, I’ll even get Kayla to paint your face.”

It’s certainly not the worst thing Nico’s tried on today. “All right.”

“Wait, where’s that zombie costume that you just had?” Will starts digging through the rejects while Nico switches back into his normal clothes. He lets out a victorious squeal when he finds it and pulls it on.

“A skeleton and a zombie,” Nico says, as Will holds stiffly holds out his arms in front of him and makes strange groaning noises. “Interesting combination.”

“We’re doing it.” Will grins as he takes off the costume. They leave the rejects outside the dressing room and take their chosen costumes up to the register. Nico resists the urge to grab a pair of silver contacts and a fake spider the size of his face. Bianca would love them.

Back in the dorms, Will drags Nico down the hall and knocks on a door. An African American girl answers, hands busy braiding yellow flowers into her hair.

“Hey, Will.” She smiles brightly. “Looking for Kayla?”

“Yeah, do you know where she is?”

“Class, I think.” She finishes off a braid and ties it off with a band. “When I see her, I’ll let her know you came by.”

“Cool thanks.” The girl nods and shuts the door as the two of them walk off. “I thought it might be a good idea to _ask_ if she’d be willing to do make-up for us,” Will explains.

“That’d be good.” Nico follows his boyfriend back to his room. They’re cuddled up together, kissing lazily without making a move for more, when there’s a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it.” Will catapults himself over Nico and out of the bed. The door opens followed by— “Kayla!”

“I heard you were looking for me,” Kayla says, walking inside. “Hey, Nico.”

“Hey, Kayla.” Nico does his best to pretend that he hadn’t been spread out on this very bed a few minutes before.

“Yes.” Will points at the two costumes abandoned on the beanbag chair. “We were wondering if you would do skeleton make-up for Nico and zombie make-up for me. I know you helped with the play last year.”

“I did.” Kayla picks up the costumes and examines them with narrowed eyes. “I think I can make that happen.”

“Awesome.” Will’s whole face splits into a grin. “This is going to be the best Halloween.”

“All right, Zombie Boy.” She drops the costumes back down. “What time do you want me to come by?”

“Well the hall party is at seven, so come by around six?” Will hops back up on his bed next to Nico.

“Sounds good. Was that all?”

“In that big of a hurry to get away from us?” Will teases, though he waves his hand toward the door. “That was my only question.”

“Cool. I’ll see you soon.” Kayla drops into a fake-bow and heads out the door. Nico turns to Will to say something about their costumes but quickly forgets what it was when Will leans into a kiss.

Oh well. It wasn’t important.


	28. Chapter 28

Nico can’t believe he agreed to this. He’s sitting perfectly still on the floor, Kayla in front of him smearing face paint onto his skin. It feels strange and restricting but from the way Will is grinning from the bed it must look nice.

He’s already wearing the whole costume, the material oddly warm in the sunny room.

A steady buzzing sounds from Will’s side table. He snatches up his phone, frowns at it for a second, and then answers, “Hello?”

Whoever’s on the other end of the line speaks for a couple minutes. “Yeah, we’ll be right there.” Pause. “No, it’s fine.” Pause. “Is it okay if Nico comes over too?” Pause. “No, it’ll be fun. We don’t mind. Cool. Be there soon.” Will sighs as he hangs up.

“What was that about?” Kayla asks, Nico trying to keep his mouth still as she covers his chin with white paint.

“My mom makes homemade candy every year to give to the kids but she has to go to the bakery tonight. Something about trouble with a wedding cake. I told her that we’d do it.” Will looks apologetically at Nico.

Kayla pauses so Nico can answer. “That’s okay. What about your brothers?”

“Both already left the house.” Will scowls a bit. “I used to help give out the candy anyway. It’s fun.”

“It’s okay. My family never gave out candy.”

Will grins and starts digging through his stuff for his keys. “As soon as we’re done here, we’ll head over then.”

It takes about another half-hour to finish both of their make-up. They would have been done earlier, but Will pulls Nico in for a kiss before the paint has fully dried, and ends up smearing the white on Nico’s nose.

“Have fun,” Kayla says as they head out.

“You too.” Will smiles at her as he locks up. “Let everyone know we’re sorry we couldn’t make it to the party.”

“Of course.” She waves as they walk away.

From there, it’s about twenty minutes to Will’s house. The driveway is empty, Will’s mother presumably already gone. The house is two stories, with a wrap-around porch and rosebushes planted out front. One of the windows is still lit up, but the others are dark.

Will unlocks the front door and pushes it open, letting Nico in first.

The inside is warm and welcoming, with the added bonus of a pervasive smell of chocolate. The two of them kick off their shoes in the hall and Will leads the way down to the kitchen.

“Mom?” Will calls out, but the house is silent. A piece of paper waits for them on the kitchen counter.

_Thanks for doing this, I’m sure the kids are going to love it! I’ll be back before eleven, but don’t expect your brothers back until morning. All the candy is in the fridge, you know what to do. There’s leftover lasagna too, if you want some._

_Love you, Mom_

The note shakes in Nico’s hand when Will hands it over and he has to put it down. Thankfully Will doesn’t seem to notice, already turning to open the fridge. There are bags upon bags of individually wrapped candies. Will pulls out two of them and tosses one to Nico.

“Try them,” he says, already shoving a candy into his mouth. “Don’t worry, there are always some leftover anyway.”

Nico shrugs and picks one. It’s milk chocolate, thick with a caramel center. He wishes they’d had people giving out candy like this back home. He says as much to Will and he laughs.

“Come on,” Will says, tossing both of their plastic bags in a can beneath the sink. “I’ll give you a tour of my house.”

On the other side of the hall from the kitchen is the living room, just as brightly furnished as the rest of the house. It’s neat but also clearly lived in—there are a couple open video game cases on the coffee table and a scattering of magazines. The TV has been left on but muted. Will digs the remote out of the couch cushions and turns it off.

Next door is the master bedroom. Will’s and his brothers’ bedrooms are up the stairs. Nico spares a quick glance for Flynn’s “ _Keep the fuck out_ ” sign before he follows Will into his room.

It’s a lot like Will’s dorm. The bedspread is light blue, the walls a neutral tan. His bookshelves are crammed to the brim, some with fiction and others with medical volumes. There’s a chair in the corner, facing a coffee table that probably held a TV until Will moved into the dorms.

“So this is your room,” Nico says, poking around the bookshelves. There’s a magazine shoves into the back but it turns out to just be an old copy of _Entertainment Weekly._

“Yep.” Will drops down on the end of the bed. “The walls were lime green for a short phase, but otherwise this is where I grew up.”

“Very nice.” Nico climbs into Will’s lap before he remembers that they’re both covered in face paint. “We probably shouldn’t do anything.”

“Not until later.” Will slides his hand around the back of Nico’s neck. “I don’t need white paint all over my face.”

Nico wrinkles his nose and pushes off the bed, standing up again. “How long until trick or treating starts?”

Will digs out his phone. “About half an hour.”

Nico spends a few more minutes poking through Will’s stuff before he’s led back downstairs. Will pulls the lasagna out of the fridge and pops it in the oven. It isn’t long before the smell of melting cheese mixes with the chocolate and Nico is _starving._

Once the lasagna is warmed up, he takes a large slice and follows Will over to the massive table. There are only five chairs but it was clearly meant to seat a few more.

“I don’t know the last time I ate at a real table,” Nico says thoughtfully, digging into the lasagna. It’s amazing but he hadn’t really expected anything less.

“Your dad isn’t big on family dinners?”

Nico shakes his head. “It was usually just Bianca and I in front of the TV.”

A bit of sauce slides down Will’s chin and he frowns hard. The effect of the red sauce on his zombie make-up is a little disturbing. Nico laughs and helps him wipe it away while still minimizing the damage.

It isn’t long after they finish eating that the doorbell starts ringing. They rush to toss as many candies as will fit into a plastic bowl. Will answers the door first, to Captain America and Iron Man.

“Will!” the Captain America squeals. “I thought you were at school.”

“I was.” Will grins brightly back at the kid. “Couldn’t miss Halloween, though, could I?” He gives them each a bag of candy, says “you’re welcome” in return for their “thank you” and closes the door once they’ve walked away. Will shrugs at Nico’s raised eyebrow. “I’ve spent a lot of time giving out candy.”

“I can tell.” Nico smiles and tugs Will in for a kiss. He’s just pulled away again when the bell rings. “I think I’m going to hate that noise.”

“Nah,” Will replies and opens the door.

The next few hours are a whirlwind of candy and kids. Will lets Nico open the door for a trio of high schoolers. They’re not even wearing costumes and Nico would be prepared to bet the remainder of candy that their backpacks are stuffed with toilet paper.

“Trick or treat,” one of them leers.

Nico stares back at them without speaking. It must be more terrifying than he expected because the taller of the trio mutters “Sorry” and they scurry off.

When Nico closes the door, Will lunges in for a kiss, pushing him back hard against the door. Nico’s white paint smudges over Will’s nose and he’s sure there’s some brown on his cheek now, but neither of them cares. The night is almost done anyway.

When trick-or-treating comes to the end, Will stows the rest of the candy back in the fridge. There are only a few bags left and Nico has a feeling they’ll be gone by morning.

“You can shower in my bathroom,” Will says. “I’ll take the master. Towels are in the closet across the hall.”

“Okay.” Nico resists the urge to scratch at his paint as he heads up the stairs. Will’s bathroom is small and expectedly messy. He lets out a sigh as the paint washes away.

By the time Nico makes it downstairs, Will is out of the shower, hair still damp and sticking up. He’s also not alone.

“Nico, this is my mom. Mom, Nico.”

“It’s so nice to meet you!” The woman in front of him has Will’s brilliant smile and blue eyes. Also apparently Will’s enthusiasm, Nico has just enough time to think before she’s wrapping her arms around him.

“Nice to meet you too,” Nico stutters as she lets him go.

“How did everything go?” Will’s mom goes to the fridge and peers at the leftovers.

“Great,” Will says, sitting down at the counter. Nico stands next to him, not sure what to do with himself. “Nico scared off the teenagers.”

“Well—” Nico trails off, nothing left to say after that. He _did_ kind of scare off the teenagers.

“That’s good. I’d hate to have to call their parents.” She closes the fridge again and leans back against it. “I’m beat so if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll see you both in the morning.”

Will grins. “Good night, Mom.”

“Good night, boys.” She heads off down the hall, leaving the two of them alone. Will grabs Nico’s hand and tugs him toward the stairs.

“So that’s my mom,” he says once they’re alone.

Nico’s thoughts are twirling in his head, making it impossible to think. He sits down on the bed, resting his head in his hands.

Will sits down slowly next to him, draping an arm around Nico’s shoulders. “Penny for your thoughts?”

There’s so much Nico wants to say—things about his mother, about Will, about how much he loves him, about the night—but instead the first thing that comes out is, “I don’t understand that saying.”

Will chuckles, resting his chin on Nico’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“I was just thinking.” Nico tugs his forehead away from his hands. He wants to see Will when he says this. Or maybe he doesn’t. He can’t decide. “I miss my mom.”

Will slides back on the bed and pulls Nico along with him. He lays back and lets Nico arrange himself however he wants. Nico decides to curl up, head resting just over Will’s heart.

“She died when I was a kid,” Nico says. “We were staying in a hotel in DC. It was Bianca and I’s first time in the city so of course we were really excited about the whole thing.” Nico smiles slightly, but the light doesn’t reach his eyes. “There was a fire. I don’t know what caused it, or if any of us ever knew, but she didn’t make it out. My dad grabbed me and Bianca.”

Will strokes his hand up and down Nico’s back in silence. Nico swallows hard a few times, trying to force back the tears. Will whispers, “It’s okay” and he lets them go.

“She was supposed to be right behind us.” Nico clenches a fist in Will’s shirt. “But when we got outside and turned around…”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Will rests his chin on top of Nico’s head. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know,” Nico says and the words burn on the way out. They shouldn’t have left her behind. How could they have done that?

Will holds him until Nico’s tears run dry and his breathing steadies. He slowly releases his grip on Will’s shirt, fingers hurting from the force of it.

“I’m sorry,” Will whispers into Nico’s hair. “I’m really, really sorry.”

Nico nods, his cheek rasping against Will’s shirt. Will reaches down, raising Nico’s chin up into a kiss. It’s soft and tastes like salt.

Will breaks away, his eyes flashing with a serious look. “I love you,” he says.

Nico smiles and shifts himself into a better position to see Will’s face. “I love you, too.”

They kiss until the emotions of the day take their toll, and they both fall asleep without even bothering to crawl under the covers.

Nico wakes up in the morning to an empty bed. He takes in the room, the walls almost gold in the morning light, and stretches. He gives it a couple of minutes but when Will doesn’t appear, he tiptoes down the stairs.

Will is standing in front of the stove, pushing scrambled eggs around a pan. The toaster pops and he jumps. Nico laughs, stepping across the floor to wrap his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.

“I told you I’d make you breakfast one day,” Will says, removing the eggs from the burner.

“It looks great,” Nico says, taking the toast out and going to the fridge for butter.

They manage to throw together a rather respectable breakfast of toast, eggs, strawberries, and the leftover chocolates. Nico catches himself smiling at Will as they settle down to the table.

He’d never expected it to be possible for him to be this happy. Not that he’d ever expected a guy like Will, or really any guy if he’s being honest.

He’d spent so much time waiting for things to fall apart that he didn’t know what to do now that—just maybe—they wouldn’t.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Will says with a grin, digging into his eggs like he hasn’t eaten in days.

Nico laughs. “I love you.”

Will’s entire face softens and he says, “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. My first order of business is to catch up with the one-shot ideas that have been piling up (Solangelo and otherwise) but I do have sequel plans that I’m toying with. You can find me on Tumblr as wholockedtrekkie where I do take requests (nothing E-rated for Solangelo please) and post about new fics. Among other various fandom things. 
> 
> I’ve really enjoyed writing this story. Thank you all for reading, commenting, bookmarking, and giving kudos. It means the world to me.


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